Universal Music Group Signs AI-Centered Collaboration Agreement With BandLab, SongStarter Developer

The parent company of the music-creation platform BandLab and Universal Music Group (UMG) have formally announced a “wide-ranging, industry-first strategic relationship” centered around “ethical” AI.

This morning, the Big Three label and Singapore-based BandLab Technologies formally announced their AI partnership. Naturally, the agreement was made at a time when numerous AI-powered music firms were receiving substantial investment rounds and unapproved soundalike songs were still becoming popular.

Regarding the latter, Universal Music emphasized a “commitment to ethical use of AI and the protection of artist and songwriter rights” in describing the BandLab union. This commitment is similar to what was made when the top music label signed a deal with the relaxing app Endel.

(An additional alarming example of the volume-specific problems with AI music was disclosed yesterday by Endel and Warner Music’s Spinnin’ Records, who intend to release “50 soundscape album playlists.”)

Universal Music emphasized that BandLab is a supporter of the Human Artistry Campaign and that, in addition to creating “new and enhanced commercial and marketing opportunities for UMG-signed and BandLab native creators,” the agreement is expected to promote “responsible AI practices, including pro-creator standards.”

A statement from UMG further stated that the collaboration “heralds a new era where artists are supported and celebrated at every stage of their creative journey” and “is designed to be a beacon of innovation and ethical practice in the industry.”

But aside from this upbeat statement and the synopsis of the deal given above, neither BandLab nor the parent company of Universal Production Music provided much information.

The primary AI tool used by BandLab, owned by Caldecott Music Group, at the moment seems to be “SongStarter,” which lets users create descriptive music and then utilize it in their own commercial releases. Additionally, Michael Nash, EVP and chief digital officer of UMG, cited BandLab’s alleged “dedication to nurturing early-stage artistry” in a statement.

Part of Nash’s message stated, “We always try to empower and support both established and emerging artists at UMG.” We find BandLab to be a fantastic partner that is engaging on many levels, especially considering their passion for music and commitment to developing early-stage talent at the center of ecosystem development.

The nearly nine-year UMG executive went on, “This is more important than ever right now as AI assumes an increasingly prominent place in the evolution of music creation tools.”

“We anticipate creating novel creative, promotional, and financial prospects for our artists and proactively interacting with BandLab’s creator community via an exceptionally cooperative framework, jointly safeguarding today’s and tomorrow’s future luminaries via conscientious methods of integrating AI into the creative process,” he concluded.

While it is too early to tell how allowing non-artists to mass-produce music will affect the music industry in the long run, this extremely disheartening trend is having an immediate effect. Only in May did Spotify purportedly remove 7% of AI music generator Boomy’s songs from its platform, purportedly in response to Universal Music’s accusations about fraudulent streams.

Boomy songs are still becoming popular on the streaming site and elsewhere despite the setback. According to the platform’s website, Boomy has released 17.73 million “original songs” to date, each of which was created “in seconds.” Notwithstanding the controversial remarks made in public about the glut of poor-quality uploads and AI music that exists today, UMG has long been attempting to profit from AI.

Universal Music Group Signs AI-Centered Collaboration Agreement With BandLab, SongStarter Developer

The parent company of the music-creation platform BandLab and Universal Music Group (UMG) have formally announced a “wide-ranging, industry-first strategic relationship” centered around “ethical” AI.

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