YouTube is testing an expansion of its Dream Track feature, lettings users alter a song’s mood and genre.

YouTube has started testing an exciting new feature, powered by AI, that allows creators to remix licensed music clips on demand. This experimental tool, only available to a select group of creators, is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to use AI to broaden music options and creative freedom.

By using prompts to adjust the mood or genre, users can create unique 30-second versions of songs for YouTube Shorts, making it a particularly appealing option for independent musicians and artists looking to reach a wider audience with innovative sounds.

YouTube’s restyling feature builds on the original Dream Track AI feature, which allows creators to generate music in the style of specific artists, such as Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, and John Legend. Dream Track can respond to prompts like “A sunny morning in Florida, R&B,” and produce an AI-generated track with an artist-inspired vibe. These features have helped creators enhance their Shorts content with AI-driven music, and the additional toolset provided by “restyle” is a promising expansion for independent musicians and creators who want more control over their soundtracks.

This “restyle” feature is essentially Dream Track’s next step, enabling reimagination of existing songs while maintaining the core characteristics of the original tracks. It has not yet been confirmed which tracks are available to be restyled in this test yet. However, the AI has been trained on tracks with the permission of the artists and rightsholders.

How does it work?

The process for using “restyle” is straightforward:

  1. Select a song from YouTube’s library of licensed music.
  2. Enter a description of how you’d like the song to be remixed.
  3. AI generates a 30-second “restyled” soundtrack that fits your prompt.

This AI-created track is then available for use in a Short. Every restyled song comes with attribution that’s prominently displayed on the Shorts platform, crediting both the original artist and indicating that AI was used for the remix. This transparency not only ensures that artists receive recognition for their work but also informs viewers that AI was involved in creating the modified version.

If you’re a creator in the experiment group, you can select an eligible song > describe how you want to restyle it > then generate a unique 30-second soundtrack to use in your Short.

These restyled soundtracks will have clear attribution to the original song through the Short itself and the Shorts audio pivot page, and will also clearly indicate that the track was restyled with AI.

YouTube

Who can test the “restyle” feature right now?

Currently, the “restyle” feature is in a testing phase with a small group of selected creators. Although details on the eligible songs and partnered music labels haven’t been fully disclosed, YouTube has previously reached agreements with several major music labels to experiment with AI music tools.

“Restyle” follows YouTube’s established standards for using AI in music, which include ongoing consultations with music industry stakeholders to ensure artist rights are protected and that AI-generated music meets industry guidelines.