Suno plans watermarking, download curbs against AI music spam
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- Suno announced plans to implement watermarking technology and a new download policy aimed at limiting spammy AI tracks and increasing transparency.
- CEO Mikey Shulman outlined the changes in a lengthy blog post, emphasizing alignment with "emerging industry standards" and plans to partner with distribution platforms on combating fraud and misuse.
- Suno is rolling out new transparency tools, including watermarking and fingerprinting technology designed to identify Suno-generated content.
- The download policy changes follow Suno's settlement with Warner Music Group (WMG) last year, which came after a similar WMG-Udio settlement that ended downloads of Udio outputs entirely.
- When Suno first announced the download restrictions last year, it said downloads would be limited to paying subscribers with a monthly cap on the number of downloads.
- Shulman said it's not Suno's place to "pass judgment" on the value of individual works, leaving the question of disclosing AI use to artists and platforms.
Why it matters: Suno's watermarking and download curbs follow its Warner Music Group settlement and a similar WMG-Udio deal that ended Udio downloads entirely, suggesting the download-cap model is becoming the industry template for AI music platforms seeking label legitimacy. Limiting downloads to paying subscribers with a monthly cap would shrink the addressable base for casual, spam-oriented AI music generation.
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