The question of whether songs – as in compositions – are undervalued compared to recordings is not just a music-streaming debate. In his annual ‘State of Music Publishing’ speech this week, NMPA boss David Israelite highlighted its relevance to AI licensing too. “The song is just as valuable, if not more, than the sound recording in the AI model,” said Israelite, according to Billboard.
He also quoted an unnamed CEO of an AI firm as telling him that “by far, the song is the most important input into these models”. Israelite said he wanted to relay the conversation “because I am fearful that as these models develop, if we do not protect our rights, we will find ourselves in a situation where we are not getting as much or more than the sound recording when it comes to revenue”.
Israelite also struck a downbeat note on the potential for government regulation of AI that meets the music industry’s expectations. “If you are waiting for the government to protect your rights and AI models, I think that is a very bad strategy…”
