AI music company Suno finds itself embroiled in a legal battle with major record labels. The labels have accused Suno of “pervasive illegal copying” of their sound recordings. However, Suno’s CEO Mikey Shulman remains hopeful about building bridges with the industry.
Shulman acknowledges the tension between Silicon Valley’s disruptive approach and the music industry’s more protective stance. He argues that both the mindset of disrupting the industry without regard and the approach of suing until the startup goes away are misguided.
Instead, Shulman says Suno’s approach is driven by a deep respect and love for music. He believes this sets the company apart from the typical Silicon Valley mentality, keeping Suno focused on building a better future for the industry, hopefully in collaboration with the incumbent players.
To that end, Shulman believes the path forward lies in licensing agreements and partnerships with the labels. He suggests it would be more productive to have discussions about how they could work together rather than expending resources on legal battles.
However, the labels claim in their lawsuit that Suno “attempted to justify its pervasive illegal copying” by claiming fair use. As the legal dispute continues, the outcome could have significant implications for the future of music technology and the balance between innovation and industry cooperation.