Photo Credit: Timbaland
What major label copyright infringement battle? AI music startup Suno has inked a partnership deal with Timbaland – including an exclusive pre-release of the 52-year-old’s latest single.
Suno, still engaged in a high-stakes legal showdown with Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music, unveiled its far-reaching Timbaland tie-up today. Perhaps the most noteworthy component of the union (in part because it could mark the start of a broader trend) is the above-mentioned exclusive pre-release of “Love Again,” which is now streaming via a dedicated page on Suno’s website.
But the evidently involved agreement doesn’t end there. Suno has also put out a debut episode of MUSE, billed as a “branded content series that demonstrates how Suno empowers music creators by both igniting new ideas and reviving forgotten or unfinished tracks.”
In the six-minute upload, Timbaland in more words touts Suno (and specifically its “Covers” tool, which generates variations of one’s own works) as a cutting-edge asset to the contemporary creative process. Of course, a number of rightsholders have a decidedly different view of the AI business and artificial intelligence generally.
And while it remains to be seen whether Suno can change these negative perceptions – a concrete answer to the ever-important fair use training question will prove important here – it’s certainly working to do so.
The effort further encompasses a “Love Again” remix contest for fans, who will according to the appropriate website have the chance to win $100,000 in prizes by “reimagining” the track via Suno. Public access to the single’s stems is set to open up at 9 AM PST tomorrow.
Unsurprisingly, Suno is capitalizing by encouraging individuals “from Grammy-winning producers to up-and-coming artists” to give its “cutting-edge, AI-powered editing tools” a try as well. Suno, a portion of the relevant text reads, “supports you through every step of the creative process—from generating fresh ideas to preparing tracks for release.”
Addressing his Suno pact, the Verzuz co-founder Timbaland emphasized a perceived “unique opportunity to make A.I. work for the artist community and not the other way around” – besides a chance “to open up the floodgates for generations of artists to flourish on this new frontier.”
In comments of his own, Suno CEO Mikey Shulman struck an optimistic tone about the future.
“It’s an honor to work with a legend like Timbaland,” communicated Shulman. “At Suno, we’re really excited about exploring new ways for fans to engage with their favorite artists. With Timbaland’s guidance, we’re helping musicians create music at the speed of their ideas—whether they’re just starting out or already selling out stadiums. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead!”
Only time will tell exactly “what’s ahead” for Audible Magic-partnered Suno and other music-focused AI players, which appear unlikely to resolve training-related infringement disputes by appealing directly to creators.
However, the suits seem as though they’ll take some time to play out and might not be a slam dunk for the plaintiffs – raising interesting questions about what the landscape will look like should Suno and others achieve material adoption-rate growth in the interim.