By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
If you’d like to learn more about how the music industry is responding to the challenges and opportunities of AI, check out the new documentary from ASCAP.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has just released a documentary on YouTube on their 2023 ASCAP Lab Music and AI Challenge. Prelude in AI Major: Crafting a Creator-First Future for Music & AI is a documentary short on their 2023 ASCAP Lab Music and AI Challenge.
The Challenge focused on cutting-edge concepts at the intersection of music and artificial intelligence. Five teams were selected to receive mentorship and grants to develop their emerging technologies during the 12-week challenge.
As a major licensor of music and an association of more than 975,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, ASCAP has a great deal at stake in how artificial intelligence is used the music industry.
In 2023, ASCAP reported record-high financial results of $1.737 billion in revenues and $1.592 billion available in royalty distribution monies to its members. Over the last eight years, ASCAP has delivered a 7% compound annual growth rate for total revenues, and an 8% compound annual growth rate for total royalty distributions to members. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it is the only performing rights organization in the U.S. that operates on a not-for-profit basis.
Prelude in AI Major explores how the teams are leveraging AI to build innovative tools for making and experiencing music, informed by their own backgrounds as composers and musicians. The film features ASCAP mentors, including songwriter and composer members, sharing their experiences guiding the teams in developing their technologies and exploring the copyright implications of their work. These music industry professionals also offer their perspectives on how AI is impacting music creators and the value of forging relationships across the music tech landscape.
You can watch the premiere below, which was posted on March 20.
On the heels of this release the ASCAP Lab and NYC Media Lab are also announcing the fifth consecutive year of the Challenge with the launch of the 2024 ASCAP Lab Challenge: AI and the Business of Music. Continuing to focus on the intersection of AI and music, this year’s Challenge is specifically aimed at identifying AI-driven solutions that can transform music industry workflows, business processes and data exchanges. Examples include but are not limited to:
● Enhanced marketing strategies, community-building and distribution tools
● Infrastructure applications that streamline industry operations and data
● Innovative approaches to tackle industry-wide challenges such as data fraud
● Efficient payment solutions tailored for the music industry
● Business tools that aid music creators in their entrepreneurial endeavors
Applications for the 2024 Challenge are now open at www.ascap.com/ai-challenge and will close on Sunday, April 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Two online info sessions will take place on Thursday, March 28 and and Wednesday April 10 at 12 p.m. ET.
You can register for those sessions at www.ascap.com/ai-infosessions.
Approximately four startup and/or university-affiliated teams will be selected to receive mentorship and grants to develop and expand upon their emerging technologies during this year’s 12-week challenge. Those selected will meet weekly (typically via video conference) with NYC Media Lab and ASCAP Lab team members to present progress and receive feedback in a cohort-based setting. Cohort teams may also have the opportunity to engage with and receive feedback about their products from ASCAP’s songwriter and publisher member community and senior leadership.
ASCAP says The ASCAP Lab Challenges are one facet of its ongoing commitment to operating as the only US performing rights society that is ‘creator-first and future-forward’. “It’s important for us to have a seat at the table, to be in the room where these concepts are not just concepts—but where they’re being applied in the industry,” said ASCAP Chief Strategy & Digital Officer Nick Lehman.
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