Copyright law regulates the commercial terms under which music and sound recordings are created and distributed. Yet, from home recording on tape to the peer-to-peer file sharing platforms, new technologies have repeatedly pushed the music industry into uncharted territory. We are now at another inflection point at the interface of law, technology, and culture: the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). This talk will discuss three themes. First, it will trace the historical relationship between new technologies and copyright, and examine how today’s debates on AI regulation affect musicians and technology researchers. Second, it will discuss the treatment of AI-generated music in relation to copyright, rights management, and labelling requirements. Third, it will discuss the current state of debates on the use of music and sound recordings for training Generative AI models, with a focus on the existing state of litigation and licensing between tech companies and the music industry. Overall, this presentation will equip music and audio technology professionals with an understanding of key current issues in regulation that will affect the future of professional audio practice and music creation.
