Two Independent Music Publishing Organizations Lay Out New Guidelines for AI Licensing

The Independent Music Publishers' E-Licensing (IMPEL) and the Independent Music Publishers International Forum (IMPF) have released a joint statement detailing their guidelines for licensing works for generative AI. The two independent bodies shared seven core principles.

The principles:

• The song must be properly valued in all generative AI licensing models.

• Revenue allocations between master and publishing rights must be fair and balanced, but in the absence of any other salient factors, generative AI training and exploitation should value the song at least equally with the recording.

• Payments for past use, training, outputs and future exploitation must be clearly distinguished and fairly treated.

• Any deductions, costs or revenue calculations must be transparent, justified and applied fairly.

• Licence scope must be specific and must not create unintended pathways for broader future uses.

• Mechanisms to establish trust and transparency in the attribution and valuation of original works used in AI training and output must be agreed with rightsholders.

• Downstream uses of AI-generated music must yield appropriate royalties for the songs on which AI models are trained.

What they said:

• IMPEL CEO Sarah Williams: “The principles we have established here have been designed to protect songs and songwriters, and ensure they are properly valued. With the music business at a new inflection point, it is crucial that we take a strong stance that will set the right precedent for the industry going forward.”

• IMPF President Annette Barrett: “IMPF exists to give independent publishers and the songwriters we represent a collective voice,  a mission that has never mattered more, as our industry navigates disruptive change and new rules are being written. The song needs protecting as the keystone of it all.”