AI Music: Elvis and Eminem Rights Holders File Suit

Two new lawsuits were filed against Suno, an AI music generation company, by rights holders of Elvis Presley and the publisher of Eminem’s records. The legal actions add to a growing list of claims against the firm, which now faces suits from Sony, UMG, Jason Isbell, and Reservoir Media.

The Presley suit relies on Tennessee’s ELVIS Act. This law makes it illegal for AI companies to clone a singer’s voice. Lawyers for the estate argue that Suno has mechanically encoded the identity, hard work, and creativity of the artist. They claim the company harnessed these elements to produce a consistent stream of revenue from generated music.

The complaints assert that Suno creates imitations of the plaintiffs without holding a direct copyright infringement claim. The lawyers describe the company’s strategy as a race to the bottom. They state that Suno coldly replicates in seconds what takes artists years to learn and perfect, aiming to make human creativity obsolete.

Cat McCormack, a spokesperson for Suno, said the platform exists to help people create original music. She stated that the company does not trade on anyone’s name or likeness. McCormack explained that Suno prohibits unauthorized use of an artist’s work by blocking prompts for specific artist names and songs. The company also works with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse.

These new filings join existing litigation from major record labels and individual artists. The Presley and Eminem cases specifically target the AI company’s method of generating music that mimics established vocal styles and lyrical content.