Suno Faces Challenges with Music Copyright

It enables easy flooding of streaming services with AI ripoffs of Beyoncé. AI music platform Suno claims it does not allow copyrighted material. Users may upload tracks to remix or set original lyrics to AI music. Supposedly, it detects and blocks copyrighted songs, but Suno’s filters are easily fooled. With little effort, Suno can produce AI imitations of popular songs like Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” closely resembling originals. These covers could be monetized on streaming services. Suno Studio, on a $24 Premier Plan, lets users upload tracks to edit or cover. Adjusting a song’s speed or adding noise often bypasses filters. Users could restore original speed in Suno Studio, turning the edited song into a new AI creation. AI covers tend to mimic original instrumentals with minimal changes. Model v5 adds more variation than v4.5, like altering Dead Kennedys’ “California Über Alles.” Slight lyric changes can pass Suno’s filters. Indie artists are more vulnerable, with some of their tracks passing the filter without edits. AI covers lack subtlety and dynamic of originals, falling into the uncanny valley. Creating such covers violates Suno’s policies. Suno seems to only scan uploads, not outputs, allowing AI covers to be monetized through services like DistroKid. Unauthorized covers of folk artist Murphy Campbell’s songs appeared on Spotify, with distributor Vydia filing claims on Campbell’s videos, despite the songs being public domain. Campbell’s case required public campaigning for resolution. AI fakes also affect other artists, penetrating multiple filters for platforms like Spotify. Large platforms combat spam AI, but challenges remain. Spotify says it protects artists’ rights with systems for detecting unauthorized content but acknowledges ongoing technical challenges. Suno is one issue in a flawed system, but artists have limited means to fight. If AI fakes derive from Suno, it remains unresponsive.