LANDR Fair Trade AI: Ethical AI or Exploitation of Artists?
Source: LANDR
LANDR, the AI-powered music production platform, announces a new AI Fair Program. This program allows artists to earn recurring revenue by participating in the training of AI-powered music tools, and represents the first mature membership model for the music industry. This means royalties for musicians who train AI with their music, which then creates similar music based on it? Does this mean we are abolishing art itself, or is it a good idea to involve musicians in the process that is already underway? What do you think?
Fair Trade AI: LANDR’s answer to the challenges of the music industry?
Since its launch 11 years ago, LANDR has been a leader in AI-powered music production, serving over 6 million artists and distributing music to Spotify, Apple Music, and 150 other leading streaming services worldwide. With the launch of the Fair Trade AI program, LANDR continues to lead the industry in championing ethical AI practices and creating new monetization opportunities for musicians.
Under the new Fair Trade AI program, artists who make their songs available for AI training will receive 20% of the revenue generated by the tools trained on their music. This approach allows artists to continue to benefit from AI development while actively participating in the development of music production technologies, while retaining all rights to their music. Where does the remaining 80% of the revenue go?
Are you getting paid fairly for your music?
Pascal Pilon, founder of LANDR, explains: “Our mission at LANDR is to empower musicians to be creative, be heard, and monetize their work. With the emergence of new generative AI tools over the past year and the legal challenges ahead, we now see an opportunity to make this market exciting and safe for amateur musicians around the world by developing tools that support, not replace, their creativity and workflow.”
LANDR’s Fair Trade AI program respects copyright and content ownership and offers musicians a new way to benefit from the latest advancements in AI. With over a decade of experience helping millions of musicians produce and publish music, LANDR has the combination of technology, content collection, and distribution infrastructure to lead this new era of the industry.
LANDR’s Fair Trade AI: Real Progress or Just Hype?
Here’s how the Fair Trade AI program works: Musicians can apply to the program by submitting their music, distributed through LANDR, for AI training. Only tracks for which the user retains publishing rights are accepted, and LANDR reserves the right to select which tracks are added to the dataset.
Contributors receive monthly payments through their LANDR account, similar to streaming revenue. LANDR ensures that no part of the dataset is sold to third parties, protecting users’ music and ensuring that data is used ethically and contributors are appropriately compensated.
Regular updates and reports on the AI training process and results are provided via email and the LANDR dashboard. Additionally, LANDR provides extensive educational resources including guides, webinars, and tutorials to help users navigate the ever-changing landscape of AI in music.
Risks or opportunities for your music
According to LANDR, the new Fair Trade AI program is an important step towards opening up new revenue streams for musicians through the use of AI and supporting their creative work.
But how do you see this, as musicians and creatives? Are you already working creatively with AI in the studio, or are you ignoring new technologies that are supposed to help us find a faster workflow? Do you want to be part of this technology and improve AI with your contribution or are you already thinking about the value of art and music in a (near) future with AI? This is a difficult topic, I think, and there are no right or wrong answers. I look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments!
More information about LANDR and the Fair Trade AI program
