BandLab Expands Licensing to Link Artists and Rightsholders with AI Music Firms

BandLab, the world’s largest social music creation platform, has announced an expansion of BandLab Licensing with clear guidelines allowing artists, labels and publishers to flag their willingness to license their music to train AI models.

How it works:

• Artists from BandLab’s global community of over 100 million creators, and any other rightsholders, can indicate their interest in AI training licensing deals by marking songs as “Open to AI Licensing.”

• This registers rightsholders in a dedicated database, making it easy for AI companies to seek authorization and legally license compositions and recordings from artists, labels and publishers.

• Every AI training licensing opportunity presented through BandLab Licensing requires explicit approval from the licensor.

A way forward?

• With AI music companies such as Suno and Udio facing litigation alleging they illegally used copyrighted music to train their AI models, BandLab is hailing this initiative as offering a “scalable and structured option that gives creators control over how their music is licensed for training AI models.”

• It would also offer a potential new revenue stream to rightsholders.

What they said:

• Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Co-Founder of BandLab: “At a time when AI exploitation is rampant, we need to aggressively and proactively take action to protect artist rights. Creating pathways and marketplaces for permissible AI training is essential to ensure that AI and music can collaborate in a way that empowers artists, safeguards creativity, and drives real economic value for rightsholders.”