The generative AI music platform Suno announced on Thursday in a corporate blog post that it will implement audio watermarking, fingerprinting, and new download restrictions to make its synthetic tracks identifiable, following intense legal pressure from major record labels over copyright infringement.
Suno’s New Transparency and Anti-Piracy Measures
Suno’s proposed tracking efforts aim to make it easier to identify when a song has been generated using its online tools. According to a blog post published by the company, these initiatives are designed to help build an ethical platform for music creation while supporting a sustainable music ecosystem. However, the technical details regarding how the watermarking and fingerprinting systems will function remain vague.
A History of Legal Battles and Data Scraping Scandals
This push for transparency comes after a turbulent period for the AI music generator. In July, a security breach exposed Suno’s source code, revealing that its AI models were trained by scraping copyrighted music and lyrics from popular platforms like YouTube Music and Genius, as reported by 404 Media. Furthermore, major music groups, including Sony and Universal, filed lawsuits against Suno in 2024, accusing the platform of mass copyright infringement.
How Streaming Platforms Handle AI-Generated Music
While most digital streaming providers have not issued outright bans on AI-generated audio, they are rapidly tightening their restrictions. Spotify currently enforces measures to target deepfakes, mandates AI disclosures, and provides channels for artists to report unauthorized content. Apple Music utilizes Transparency Tags to flag AI-generated tracks, while Deezer excludes synthetic music from its recommendation algorithms and refuses to pay royalties on AI-generated tracks.
Whether Suno’s proposed updates will satisfy these platforms, major labels, and independent artists remains to be seen. Representatives for Suno, Deezer, and Apple Music did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Suno’s Strategy to Protect Intellectual Property
To mitigate industry backlash, Suno outlined several initiatives designed to safeguard artists’ rights. The company claims it excludes artist names from its training metadata to prevent the generation of tracks that directly mimic existing musicians. Additionally, the platform blocks user prompts that reference specific artists or copyrighted songs, focusing instead on generic musical characteristics.
Advanced Screening and Content Moderation
Suno is also implementing third-party screening technologies to scan uploaded audio files and lyrics for unauthorized material. The platform has updated its community guidelines to clearly define prohibited activities, backed by an active Trust & Safety team tasked with investigating violations.
Vague Download Policies and Future Tech
Despite these announcements, key details of Suno’s roadmap remain ambiguous. The company has yet to provide technical specifications for its upcoming audio watermarking and fingerprinting systems. Furthermore, Suno promised a new downloads policy to limit the mass distribution of AI tracks on streaming services but has not disclosed how this restriction will be enforced or measured.