Venture capital investors are showing great interest in a new platform that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to create music on demand. Suno, the company behind the platform, recently announced that it has raised $125 million in funding for product development and team expansion. As part of the announcement, Suno released an AI-generated song that was specifically created for the occasion.
Suno’s platform was initially launched eight months ago and allowed users to create songs based on simple text prompts. Currently, users can input text prompts describing the desired song and choose whether they want it to have vocals or be purely instrumental. The platform not only generates the music but also creates album artwork and titles, all of which can be customized. Users also have the option to modify the AI-generated lyrics with their own words and extend the initial track.
Cointelegraph tested the platform using the prompt, “Make me a theme song for the publication Cointelegraph.” The AI generated a two-minute track with the tags “trap, energetic, upbeat” attached to the music style. When asked to generate lyrics, it came up with a comprehensive text that included lines about blockchain and decentralized power.
Suno claims that 10 million people have already made music using its platform, including Grammy Award-winning artists. The platform has gained popularity on social media, with one user expressing gratitude for being able to create a song for her child.
Despite the excitement surrounding Suno’s platform, it is not the first of its kind. Big Tech rivals Google and Meta also released their own AI-generated music-making platforms in 2023. However, Suno’s platform allows users to create tracks up to two minutes in length, compared to Google’s MusicFX, which only allows tracks of up to 30 seconds. Suno’s tracks also have different sections and chord progressions, giving them a more musical feel.
The rise of AI-generated music has sparked controversy in the music industry, with companies like Universal Music and Sony taking a stand against developers to protect their artists’ copyrighted content. Musicians are still wary of AI, but a survey conducted last year revealed that over half of the musicians polled were concerned about how the audience perceives the use of AI in music.
In a recent video, popular music YouTuber Rick Beato discussed the influx of AI-generated music on streaming platforms and coined the term “ghost music” to describe it. He expressed concerns about how AI-generated music fills up playlists and earns streaming royalties.
While AI-generated music continues to generate both excitement and controversy, it is clear that it has become a prominent force in the music industry.