ElevenLabs Launches Commercial-Ready AI Music Generator

AI audio powerhouse ElevenLabs has unveiled a new model that lets users generate music cleared for commercial use. The announcement signals the company's pivot beyond its original focus on speech and audio tools developed over its three-year journey.

A frontrunner in text-to-speech innovation, ElevenLabs has branched out into areas like conversational AI and multilingual voice translation. The music generator is its latest venture into creative audio AI.

The launch was accompanied by sample tracks, one featuring a computer-generated voice rapping lines such as “came up through the cracks with ambition in my pocket” and detailing a journey from “Compton to the Cosmos.” The uncanny imitation of real-life storytelling, inspired by artists like Dr. Dre, N.W.A., and Kendrick Lamar, raises questions about authenticity and artistic representation.

Music generation via AI remains a legal and ethical minefield. Tools in this space face scrutiny regarding their training data. Last year, startups Suno and Udio were sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for allegedly using copyrighted music in their models. Both companies are now reportedly in talks with major labels about licensing agreements.

To sidestep similar challenges, ElevenLabs announced partnerships with digital music platforms Merlin Network and Kobalt Music Group. These deals are designed to grant access to music libraries for training purposes.

According to Merlin’s site, the platform represents artists like Adele, Nirvana, Mitski, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Phoebe Bridgers, while Kobalt is known for handling catalogs from Beck, Bon Iver, and Childish Gambino.

The fine print of these deals remains unclear, and it’s unknown whether music from these high-profile artists was used in training the new model.