Music licensing platform Audiio has today soundly rejected generative AI in music, saying while new technology is good for some things, making music is “a line it cannot cross.” The move follows a similar stance made clear by Epidemic Sound last year.
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In an email to users of its platform sent this morning, Audiio CEO and Founder Joshua Read says that while AI can be helpful in other places, generative AI has no place in the creation of music. This appears to be in response to Google’s announcement of Lyra 3 Pro last week, an AI music model that it claims can generate tracks up to three minutes long.
“Creative tools are evolving quickly, and AI is becoming part of the everyday workflow in more and more ways. We believe that can be a good thing. AI can help people move faster, explore ideas, and remove friction from the creative process,” Read says.
“But there is still a line it cannot cross. Generative AI can imitate style. It can mimic patterns. It can accelerate output. What it cannot do is bring the lived experience, emotional truth, and human perspective that takes a project from good to great.”
Read says that is why Audiio will continue to focus on the “Human Made,” a decision that rival Epidemic Sound also expressed late last year.
“While we deeply believe in the power of AI to enhance creativity, our commitment remains to music made by real artists and ensuring that the value of human creativity is both recognized and rewarded appropriately, and continue to develop our remuneration model for artists to reflect that,” Epidemic Sound says.
AI-generated music is clearly a threat to the core business model of music licensing platforms, which is likely a major player as to why both Epidemic Sound and Audiio are so steadfastly against it. The companies are not against AI, just against AI doing human work. Both have AI-powered voice acting tools — Audiio Voices and Epidemic Voices — but both businesses worked with human artists and compensated them for the tools.
The two companies both argue that pure generative AI like Lyra 3 Pro hurts more than it helps.
“While others in our space move toward AI-generated music, we are doubling down on what has always made this work matter: real human expression,” Read continues.
“That mission feels even more important now. And we are taking steps to protect that standard. Audiio is leveraging AI detection technology to help ensure that every track on our platform is crafted by human hands, so you can license with confidence knowing the music behind your work is original and safe,” Read adds. “This is not about rejecting technology. We use technology constantly, and we will continue to. It is about protecting the part of creativity that technology cannot replace.”
Image credits: Audiio