Final week, individuals started noticing an replace in the newest model of SoundCloud’s phrases of service: A provision giving the platform permission to make use of uploaded content material to “inform, prepare, develop or function enter” to AI. It’s unclear whether or not or not that features generative AI, and it seems they haven’t finished an excellent job of notifying customers of the change, with the Wayback Machine indicating this provision was added in February 2024. However now, of us are noticing and are understandably upset, given the in depth backlash in opposition to AI in music. SoundCloud has now issued a brand new assertion in response. It reads:
SoundCloud has by no means used artist content material to coach Al fashions, nor can we develop Al instruments or permit third events to scrape or use SoundCloud content material from our platform for Al coaching functions. The truth is, we carried out technical safeguards, together with a ‘no Aľ tag on our web site to explicitly prohibit unauthorized use.
The February 2024 replace to our phrases of service was meant to make clear how content material could work together with Al applied sciences inside SoundCloud’s personal platform. Use instances embrace personalised suggestions, content material group, fraud detection, and enhancements to content material identification with the assistance of Al applied sciences.
Any future utility of Al at SoundCloud shall be designed to assist human artists, enhancing the instruments, capabilities, attain, and alternatives out there to them on our platform. Examples embrace bettering music suggestions, producing playlists, organizing content material, and detecting fraudulent exercise. These efforts are aligned with present licensing agreements and moral requirements. Instruments like Musiio are strictly used to energy artist discovery and content material group, to not prepare generative Al fashions.
We perceive the issues raised and stay dedicated to open dialogue. Artists will proceed to have management over their work, and we’ll maintain our neighborhood knowledgeable each step of the best way as we discover innovation and apply Al applied sciences responsibly, particularly as authorized and business frameworks proceed to evolve.
Notably, nonetheless, SoundCloud’s assertion doesn’t rule out utilizing content material for generative AI sooner or later, with the corporate including in a press release to The Verge: “Ought to we ever think about using person content material to coach generative AI fashions, we’d introduce clear opt-out mechanisms upfront — at a minimal — and stay dedicated to transparency with our creator neighborhood.” At present, the corporate makes use of AI for widespread options like personalised suggestions and fraud detection.
SoundCloud appears to say the fitting to coach on individuals’s uploaded music of their phrases. I believe they’ve main inquiries to reply over this.
I checked the wayback machine – it appears to have been added to their phrases on twelfth Feb 2024. I am a SoundCloud person and I can not see any… pic.twitter.com/NIk7TP7K3C
— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) Might 9, 2025
SoundCloud issued a press release concerning the AI coaching a part of its phrases of service.
Excellent news that they have not used individuals’s music to coach AI fashions, nevertheless it’s worrying that they have not stated they will not in future.
It appears rigorously worded, and notably does not rule out coaching… pic.twitter.com/a5OjDrQ9ex
— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) Might 9, 2025
