Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Music Industry According to Warner Music CEO

In a recent development, Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music, has projected the significant impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the music industry within the coming year. Speaking at the Code Conference, Kyncl, an industry veteran, emphasized the need for the sector to welcome the rapidly improving quality of AI-made music warmly.

"Embrace technology because it's not like you can put technology in a bottle…like the genie is not going back in," Kyncl stated, demonstrating his commitment to the inevitable integration of AI into the music industry.

Addressing Copyright Issues Related to AI

Warner Music has proactively dealt with the copyright issues associated with AI technology. The AI tools used to create songs that sound like existing artists pose a considerable challenge to rights holders. Drawing a clear analogy to user-generated content, Kyncl explained the existing blueprint to tackle this problem.

He reflected on his tenure of over 12 years as YouTube's chief business officer, where he played a crucial role in developing a fingerprinting software, Content ID. This software enabled YouTube to track copyrighted material on its platform, paving the way for a commercial relationship with copyright holders to ensure their compensation.

"We built a multibillion-dollar business, which now is a multibillion-dollar business per year," Kyncl noted, implying a similar approach could be taken with the advent of AI in the music industry.

The Need for Artist Choice

Kyncl stressed the importance of allowing artists to opt in or out of this new wave of AI-generated music. The aim is to ensure that artists who participate are adequately protected. He suggested that the blueprint derived from user-generated content could be instrumental in figuring out the finer details of AI.

Collaborative Approach to Define Rules

As the system is still under development, Kyncl acknowledged that people are actively working on it, and progress is being made swiftly. Warner Music is focusing on a collaborative approach with major platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify to establish the rules as these technologies develop.

YouTube has already announced plans to compensate artists and rights holders for AI music, beginning the program with Universal Music Group and its extensive roster of talent. Kyncl hinted that other stakeholders, such as Warner Music, are likely a part of these discussions at YouTube.

AI Innovation in Music Precedes TV and Film

Kyncl also suggested that AI's influence on music would precede its impact on TV and film. This observation was in response to concerns raised during the recent Hollywood writers' strike, where there were fears of studios using AI to avoid paying union members for their work.

"Music, because it's so broadly distributed and well aligned with the internet because it's a short format. It lends itself to recommendations. It's on all platforms and is generally first in most transformations and innovations," Knyncl explained.

Legal Evolution Needed to Accommodate AI Music

In addition to technological developments, Kyncl advocated for legal evolution to accommodate AI music. He firmly believed that name, image likeness, and voice should enjoy the same protections as copyright but acknowledged that such changes would take time. In the interim, he affirmed the commitment to working collaboratively with distribution platforms to stay ahead of the curve.