Major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records filed lawsuits on Monday against artificial intelligence companies Suno and Udio, accusing them of mass copyright infringement. The labels allege that these companies used their recordings without permission to train AI systems that generate music, potentially undermining the work of human artists.
The lawsuits were filed in federal courts in New York and Massachusetts. The complaints claim that Suno and Udio’s technology can recreate elements of famous songs such as The Temptations’ “My Girl,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good).” Additionally, they assert that the AI-generated vocals are indistinguishable from those of artists like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and ABBA.
Suno CEO Mikey Shulman defended the company’s technology, stating, “Our technology is transformative; it is designed to generate completely new outputs, not to memorize and regurgitate pre-existing content.” Representatives for Udio did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The music labels are seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per song allegedly copied. According to the lawsuits, Suno is accused of copying 662 songs, while Udio is accused of copying 1,670. These cases mark the first legal actions against music-generating AI systems, following similar lawsuits by authors and news outlets concerning text-based AI models.
The labels claim that Suno and Udio have been evasive about the material used to train their AI, suggesting that full disclosure would reveal widespread copyright infringement. Mitch Glazier, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, criticized the AI companies, stating, “Unlicensed services like Suno and Udio that claim it’s ‘fair’ to copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all.”
Suno, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Udio, headquartered in New York, have both raised substantial funding this year for their AI music systems, which create music based on user text prompts. The outcome of these lawsuits could have significant implications for the future of AI-generated content in the music industry.
