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Tech
SOCAN Teams With Musical AI to Offer 'Consent Management and Attribution' Tools For Generative AI Music
The Canadian rights company will use the technology to provide tools for its members to control how their works are used and compensated in the world of AI.
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SOCAN is teaming with Musical AI, a Canadian rights management technology company to provide tools for attribution, compensation and consent for generative AI outputs.
“As AI reshapes the music industry, music creators must have transparency, credit and fair compensation,” says Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN. “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.”
As part of this new collaboration, SOCAN is recognizing Musical AI as an approved technology partner. The explorative partnership aims to help SOCAN fairly compensate songwriters, composers and music publishers with the help of Music AI's technology, which can analyze AI outputs and outline influences, in turn creating reports that can help properly license and attribute the rights to AI-generated musical creations.
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The tools will be available on an "opt-in" basis. Music creators will decide whether or not they want to engage in working with AI, with an assurance to receive credit and compensation whenever their likeness or output contributes to a release made using AI.
“Artists and songwriters should always retain control over their work as AI systems evolve,” says Sean Power, CEO of Musical AI. “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.”
While SOCAN has shown openness to AI — notably allowing registrations of partially AI-generated music as of Oct. 2025, a controversial move to some in the music industry who advocate for the industry to more clearly distance itself from AI — it has also remained vocal about putting an end to the circumnavigation of proper licensing and attribution.
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SOCAN has been steadily advocating for the protection of copyrighted music in the face of growing concerns around artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, SOCAN reacted to the new federal "AI for All" policy, calling for more transparency and legislation that would require AI companies to fairly disclose what human-made, copyrighted work is being used to train their models.
Last year, Brown defended artists' rights at the House of Commons alongside Margaret McGuffin of Music Publishers Canada, and led a nationwide campaign against unlicensed AI music that was supported by artists like Mac DeMarco and Sarah McLachlan. SOCAN also joined forces with the Australian rights organization APRA AMCOS to oppose copyright exceptions for AI training.
This new partnership with Musical AI shows SOCAN's willingness to adapt to growing AI technology if there are proper safeguards for fair compensation and attribution.
“This is the kind of responsible Canadian innovation that will create new opportunities while recognizing and protecting the value of human creativity," says Evan Solomon, Canada's minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
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