UMG tells Apple and Spotify to block AI lyric, melody scraping

The music industry has been disrupted by artificial intelligence lately, and the recent move by Universal Music Group (UMG) could see further changes. The Universal Music Group has reportedly issued an order to Apple Music and Spotify instructing them to block AI technology used to scrape lyrics and melodies from its copyrighted content.

This move by UMG is in response to the trend of AI-based music creation, in which machines can create original compositions. AI-based music composition has seen increasing development and is used by many independent musicians and even major labels are now getting in on the trend.

However, the rise of AI music composition has also seen a surge in a technology known as “lyric scraping,” which involves harvesting lyrics and melodic components from existing copyright-protected content and remixing or combining them with new music. UMG views this as a breach of copyright and has issued a cease and desist notice to Apple Music and Spotify to block AI lyric, melody scraping.

The move by UMG has been widely seen as a first step in curbing the advancement of AI-powered music creation. By preventing the unauthorized use of their copyrighted content, UMG is sending a strong signal to the tech industry that intellectual property rights need to be respected, even if the technology is new.

This is not the first time UMG has taken steps to protect its copyright. The company has previously taken legal action against websites and app developers who have allowed users to create remixes without proper licensing.

For now, it appears that UMG’s move to block AI lyric, melody scraping will be successful. Apple Music and Spotify have both complied with the request and have implemented measures to prevent the technology from scraping content from UMG’s music catalog.

While this may be seen as a victory for UMG in its fight to protect its copyrighted content, the AI music industry is unlikely to be crippled by the move. Emerging technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing are still being used to create original music, and a new age of AI-driven music creation is likely to emerge.