“Stealing the work, art and livelihoods of lyricists, songwriters and composers”: Ivors Academy warns Suno AI over its ‘lyrics generator’

The Ivors Academy has fired a shot across the bows of the tech company Suno AI and requested that the firm remove their ‘lyrics generator’ ReMi from the market immediately.

Quite why any ‘songwriter’ with a modicum of self-respect would want to use it is another matter, but ReMi purports to produce entire lyrics with just a simple prompt.

Suno alleges that there are ‘guardrails’ in place to ensure that ReMi only produces original work. But research by the platform Complete Music Update has shown that that is not the case.

For example, putting in the prompts ‘1980s Australian pop song’, ‘male vocals’, ‘about paying dues to the native people’ and ‘in the style of Midnight Oil’ brought up the entire lyrics to the Aussie band’s late 80s hit Beds Are Burning.

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning - YouTube

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As such ReMi breaks current UK copyright law, but as is so often the break-fast-so-what way in the world of tech, Suno has gone ahead and put it on the market anyway.

Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, said: “Suno’s new tool is the latest example of unethical AI firms stealing the work, art and livelihoods of lyricists, songwriters and composers.

"AI firms must not use the lyrics, compositions or melodies of our members without first getting their permission and paying them fairly for the use of their copyright-protected music”.

He added: “If AI companies continue to train their models on our members’ music we will call on the UK government to strengthen copyright law to clarify that creators have ultimate control over how their works are used and monetised.”

Quite whether the UK government will listen is another matter. They have made no secret of their plans to change the law that would allow AI firms to train their models on copyrighted work, with artists and copyright holders having to opt out every time.

Over in Germany, performing rights collecting society GEMA has already started legal action against Suno.

In a statement given to Complete Music Update they said: “Generative AI tools such as the music tool Suno make uninhibited use of compositions and texts that do not belong to them.

"As many providers of generative AI, they have deliberately ignored copyright law in the past, and they are using protected works created by humans without their consent and profit financially from them. This must change.”