SOCAN, the music rights group, has teamed up with Canada’s Musical AI, a rights management technology company offering consent management and attribution infrastructure for generative AI outputs.
SOCAN — which represents over 200,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers — and Musical AI will protect music creators as AI reshapes how music is used, created, and monetized.
The groups will explore appropriate uses and guidelines for attribution technologies in Canada, including ways Musical AI can support SOCAN’s efforts to provide attribution from AI outputs for the purpose of appropriately compensating songwriters, composers and music publishers.
As part of the collaboration, SOCAN will recognize Musical AI as an approved technology partner for attribution services and related initiatives with the goal of using such capabilities to support music creators and rights holders in the future.
The collaboration is founded on two principles: First, all music creators should decide how their work participates in AI. All AI use should occur on an opt-in basis. Second, music creators must receive credit and compensation when their work influences an AI-generated output.
Musical AI’s attribution technology analyzes AI generated outputs and separately assesses influence connected to sound recordings and musical compositions, creating reporting that can support accountability, licensing and compensation.
The collaboration also reflects a broader Canadian priority: to exercise stewardship over Canadian music, cultural identity and creative economic infrastructure in a shifting technological environment. This partnership presents a coordinated effort and standard for protecting human creativity.
As part of this initiative, SOCAN and Musical AI will continue to explore other product offerings, such as Musical AI’s consent management tools that help make music creators’ choices to opt-in to AI uses clear, structured, and scalable.
“As AI reshapes the music industry, music creators must have transparency, credit and fair compensation,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO at SOCAN, in a statement. “SOCAN’s role is to protect the rights and livelihoods of songwriters, composers and music publishers. This collaboration with Musical AI establishes a foundation for attribution and compensation, to ensure that music creators are paid when their music is used by AI.”
“Artists and songwriters should always retain control over their work as AI systems evolve,” said Sean Power, CEO of Musical AI, in a statement. “The first step is consent. The next step is attribution that can show how music contributes to an output and how value should flow to artists and songwriters. Working with SOCAN helps place music creators at the center of a rights respecting model for AI and music.”
“At its core, this partnership is about supporting Canadian songwriters and composers whose work strengthens our culture and economy. It is encouraging to see Musical AI and SOCAN working together to address an important challenge in the AI era: helping ensure that creators and their work can be properly identified and attributed,” said Evan Solomon, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, in a statement. “This is the kind of responsible Canadian innovation that will create new opportunities while recognizing and protecting the value of human creativity.”