Artificial intelligence (AI) has muscled into everyday life over the last few years, and music is no exception. When people mention AI music, broadly, they mean that it was created or edited using generative AI models.
Like AI in other sectors and mediums, the backbone of AI music is built upon generative models. These models generate audio from a text prompt, which is provided by a user — it’s a similar process to AI-generated images or videos.
The models are trained from all sorts of audio, spanning across music, sound effects, and speech. It then learns how to create new audio, which is influenced by the audio material used in training.
AI music and copyright law is complicated, and the regulations may differ from country to country. In most territories, art created entirely by AI won’t be copyright-protected, as the work must be ‘created by a human being’ to receive copyright protection.
Multiple ongoing lawsuits allege that the training of several of the more prominent models, as well as the output produced by AI models, infringe copyright.
At Epidemic Sound, we use AI to build tools and features that help our customers find the perfect soundtrack for their content.
For example, we created Soundmatch: an AI-powered tool which analyzes your video content and recommends music to complement the visuals. We’ve also used AI to create our search function, EAR, which helps you use music to find…well, more music!
Will AI replace musicians? What about music producers? Songwriters, mixing engineers, session players? We’d like to think not. Synthesizers didn’t wipe out guitars, nor did autotune overhaul raw vocals — there’s a place for AI to fit within the music industry, rather than take it over.
AI music’s technical and creative boundaries will keep moving, and the choice to apply it responsibly falls on everyone. As long as AI is used to improve rather than replace human creativity, it’s a tool worth considering.
Epidemic Sound doesn’t currently use generative AI to create music. We’re exploring how AI technology can assist our artists and customers, but believe that human creativity must always come first.
If we ever do choose to explore an AI music offering, we will develop our artist remuneration model as a core aspect of this, ensuring that the talent behind our catalog continue to receive fair payment. If you’d like to learn more about our commitment to artists and content creators regarding AI, click here.
AI music and AI sound effects look promising at first glance, but they might not be right for your project. Here’s what sets us apart:
Quality: Our catalog’s bursting with multi-Platinum artists like Jordin Sparks, Grammy-nominated conductors such as Eric Jacobsen, rising stars like Kylie Daylie, and everything in between. We commission tracks and work with our artists every step of the way, from initial demos to final mixes — it’s as human as you can get.
Relevance: Our catalog caters to our users’ needs by harnessing creator feedback, data from billions of daily YouTube views, and knowledge from our in-house experts.
Discovery: Our next-generation, AI-powered discovery tools are informed by more than 2.5 billion daily plays across YouTube and TikTok. We know which sound will resonate with your audience, and we’re always working to make the soundtracking process as fast and effective as possible.
Music curation: Our Music Curation team helps Enterprise customers take their content to the next level. We offer bespoke workshops, strategic supervision and development, trend-spotting, one-on-one customer service, and more. Need a cohesive sound strategy, or perhaps some guidance defining your sonic brand? Our Music Curation Team will help you craft a musical ID that’s rooted in your brand’s purpose — it’s a human touch you can't get with just AI.
Legal safety: Our music is original and created by humans. On top of that, our direct licensing model empowers you to publish soundtracked content safely across the internet, all without the usual licensing complexity or complications. This may not be the case with all AI music.
Our rights model and in-house DRM team also keep you safe from copyright claims on social media. Meanwhile, it’s not clear how claims can be avoided or resolved for AI-generated music.