OtherVerified
Reviewed and published by trentmaziarz, April 21, 2026. Discovered and drafted by our automated research pipeline.
Sony Music Entertainment announced a public, company-wide opt-out of all unauthorized use of its content — including recordings, lyrics, artwork, and metadata — for training, developing, or commercializing AI systems, and sent formal letters to more than 700 generative AI companies and streaming platforms in May 2024.
Details
Sony Music Group's public declaration, published on the websites of Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing in May 2024, prohibits any text or data mining, web scraping, or similar use of its content for AI-related purposes without explicit authorization. The declaration covers all existing and future content and applies globally. Sony Music's president of global digital business noted at the time that the company had approximately 200 active conversations with AI companies about potential licensed uses of its catalog.
Products affected
Sony Music Entertainment catalogSony Music Publishing catalog
Sources & Evidence
News Article
Cite this record
Trace Foundation. (2026). Sony Music Entertainment: Sony Music Entertainment announced a public, company-wide opt-out of all unauthorized use of its content — including recordings, lyrics, artwork, and metadata — for training, developing, or commercializing AI systems, and sent formal letters to more than 700 generative AI companies and streaming platforms in May 2024 (data as of 2026-04-21) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/565a180c-9045-48e1-836f-9bedec6def8f. Accessed September 11, 2026.
- Stable link
- https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/565a180c-9045-48e1-836f-9bedec6def8f
- Data as of
- April 21, 2026
- Last verified
- April 21, 2026
Other practices by Sony Music Entertainment
ModerationSony Music Entertainment uses an AI-assisted process to identify and issue takedown notices against AI-generated songs that impersonate its artists on streaming platforms. As of March 2026, Sony Music had requested the removal of more than 135,000 such tracks from platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.Creative GenSony Music Entertainment integrated a custom generative AI model into a consumer-facing fan experience, allowing fans to create personalized audio remixes and album artwork from The Orb and David Gilmour's album 'Metallic Spheres In Colour,' in partnership with AI platform Vermillio. The project launched in November 2023 as an artist-led initiative available globally via a dedicated website.ModerationSony Music integrated a collaboration with SoundPatrol, a Stanford University-affiliated AI research lab, to deploy neural fingerprinting technology that detects the presence of original, human-created music within AI-generated compositions. The partnership was announced in September 2025.
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