Suno’s CEO claims making music is “not enjoyable”
Image credit: Nahrizul Kadri
The boss of the world’s most popular AI music generator doesnt believe people enjoy making music, amid controversy over copyright training.
Suno is the leading AI music generator in the world. The popular platform can take prompts of genre, style, and lyrics and turn it into completely computer generated music that sounds like the real thing. Whilst it’s popular with users, the music industry isn’t so sure.
New comments from Suno CEO Mikey Shulman may not help things for the AI music generation platform. In an interview on The Twenty Minute VC podcast, Shulman said: “I think the majority of people don’t enjoy the majority of the time they spend making music.”
Shulman is referring to the amount of time and craft that goes into learning instruments and creating music. Presumably, he is defending the existence of Suno as a point of convenience for those who want to make music but don’t care about making music, just the endpoint.
Suno’s relationship with the industry is frought for a number of reasons: Firstly, they have admitted to using copyrighted music to train their generative AI model. Secondly, the robotic and immediate production of music represents an existential threat to the musicians who dedicate their lives to creating and getting heard in an already difficult industry.
Shulman’s comments show a clear disconnect from the passion real musicians have for their craft. He goes on to say: “Thirty years ago you wanted to be a rockstar… Fifteen years ago you wanted to be a DJ… and now people want to be influencers.”
The RIAA are currently seeking damages of up to $150,000 for each copyrighted work that Suno used to train their AI generator without permission. The RIAA are representing major labels in their litigation, saying unlicensed services like Suno “set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all.”
Shulman recognises the threat of the suit but confrims that even if the labels win, “the company’s not dead”. He adds: “It just seems silly to throw a bunch of venture dollars at lawyers instead of sitting down and talking about how you could work together.”
Whilst the industry isn’t on its side, Suno has been seeing huge success with users, releasing a new app last July amidst the RIAA conflict. Over 12 million have used the app so far and Shulman is confident about what comes next. “The future is ours to build. We can build a good future of music with AI and we can build a bad future of music with AI or we can sit back and let someone else do it.”
AI is a constant topic of conversation in the music industry right now. Whilst it poses a potential threat to the careers of musicians, many are also embracing it. In fact, last year a study found that up to a quarter of music producers use AI tools – the numbers may be even higher now.
One of the major concerns is that consumers will listen to music created by artificial intelligence rather than by real artists. A few months ago, China launched the first fully AI music streaming service. The service allows users to generate playback based on their mood or energy.
At the same time, physical products like vinyl are seeing a resurgence. So, there is the potential for a future in which artists’ value are bolstered by physical purchases for dedicated fans and AI fills a spot for casual, background listening.