Sony Music Group is drawing a clear line around the use of its catalog in artificial intelligence systems. The company has sent letters to more than 700 tech companies and music streaming services warning them not to use its music to train AI without explicit permission.
The move puts one of the largest music companies directly into the growing fight over generative AI, copyrighted works and compensation for artists. According to the letter obtained by TechCrunch, Sony Music has “reason to believe” that some recipients “may already have made unauthorized uses” of its content.
What Sony Music is asking for
The letter does more than object in general terms. Sony Music is asking recipients to account for how its content may have been used in AI training, development or commercialization.
The company wants details on which of its songs were used to train AI systems, how those songs were accessed, how many copies were made and whether any copies still exist. It also asks why copies existed in the first place.
That request matters because AI training can involve large collections of audio, lyrics, metadata and other material. Sony Music is seeking to protect intellectual property that includes audio and audiovisual recordings, cover artwork, metadata, lyrics and more.
The company has not disclosed which 700 companies received the letter. But the scope makes the message hard to miss: Sony Music is putting technology companies and music streaming services on notice that permission is central to its view of AI use.
Control and compensation are at the center
Sony Music is not rejecting AI outright. The company said it recognizes the “significant potential” of AI, while arguing that unauthorized use of SMG Content in AI systems deprives the company and its artists of control and “appropriate compensation.”
That distinction is important. Sony Music is not framing the issue as technology versus music. It is framing the issue as authorized use versus unauthorized use.
The company’s position is that artists and songwriters should be able to decide how new tools interact with their work. In a statement, Sony Music said it supports artists and songwriters taking the lead in embracing new technologies in support of their art.
It also said technology has often changed creative industries and that AI will likely continue that pattern. But Sony Music added that innovation must respect the rights of songwriters and recording artists, including copyrights.
The company’s portfolio includes artists such as Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Adele and Celine Dion. By invoking its broader catalog and artist rights, Sony Music is signaling that AI training is not only a technical issue. It is also a question of creative control, legal rights and payment.
Why this warning arrives now
The letter comes as copyright infringement has become a significant issue with the rise of generative AI. Streaming services like Spotify are being flooded with AI-generated music, according to the source article.
That flood creates pressure on music companies, artists and platforms. If AI-generated music can be created and distributed at scale, the source material used to build those systems becomes a central question.
The issue is not limited to companies. Artists are also experimenting with AI, and the source article notes that Drake faced criticism after deepfaking the late rapper Tupac earlier this month.
For Sony Music, the concern is broader than any single song or tool. The company is asking whether its protected material has been copied, retained or used in ways that should have required permission.
Lawmakers are entering the debate
The dispute is also moving into politics. Last month, California Democratic Representative Adam Schiff introduced new legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would, if passed, force AI companies to disclose which copyrighted songs they used to train AI.
That proposal lines up with one of Sony Music’s key demands: transparency. If companies used copyrighted songs in training data, rights holders want to know what was used and how.
Separately, Tennessee became the first U.S. state to protect artists against AI in March after Governor Bill Lee signed the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act.
Together, those developments show that the AI music debate is expanding beyond platform policy and private complaints. It now includes legislation, artist likeness rights, copyright concerns and direct demands from major rights holders.
What happens next
Sony Music has given recipients a deadline to respond. The company also said it will enforce its copyright to the “fullest extent permitted by applicable law in all jurisdictions.”
That language raises the stakes for companies that have trained or developed AI systems using music-related data. Even if a company believes its use was lawful, Sony Music is asking for a record of what happened.
The immediate question is whether recipients can explain their use of Sony Music content clearly enough to satisfy the company. The larger question is whether AI developers and music rights holders can create a workable path for permission, attribution and compensation.
For now, Sony Music’s message is direct: AI may have a place in music, but the company says its catalog cannot be treated as free training material without explicit permission.