SoundCloud’s CEO Eliah Seton has penned an open letter to its users following suspicion that it was using artists’ content to train AI.
Earlier this May, SoundCloud users raised concerns about the platform’s Terms of Use, which seemingly suggested that their content “may be used to inform, train, develop or serve as input to artificial intelligence”. However, there was a misunderstanding about what this actually meant.
The term had been in place since February 2024, but had garnered new attention online. Following the panic, SoundCloud affirmed that it has never used any artist content to train generative AI, and that the term actually referred to its internal use of AI, including personalised recommendations, content organisation, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification.
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Now, Seton has set out to further reassure its user base, and most importantly, has also promised better clarity on AI from now and into the future. The brand has also scrapped the original term from its ToU article which caused the alarm, and replaced it with a much clearer statement.
Seton’s letter reads, “SoundCloud has never used artist content to train AI models. Not for music creation. Not for large language models. Not for anything that tries to mimic or replace your work. Period. We don’t build generative AI tools, and we don’t allow third parties to scrape or use artist content from SoundCloud to train them either.
“In fact, we’ve already put protections in place like a ‘no AI’ tag that explicitly signals content on SoundCloud can’t be used for AI training. At SoundCloud, protecting artist rights isn’t new for us and being artist-first isn’t a slogan. It’s core to who we are and always will be. It’s in our DNA.”
The statement later explains, “Our use of AI is focused on discovery – helping fans find new music and helping artists grow, starting with their first fans. That’s core to our mission. Three years ago we expanded our AI and machine learning capabilities through the acquisition of Musiio which significantly improved how we connect creators with listeners, fuel music discovery and help rights holders identify what’s next.”
Further to this, Seton has taken responsibility for the language in SoundCloud’s ToU document for being “too broad”, and has said it “wasn’t clear enough”: “It created confusion, and that’s on us. That’s why we’re fixing it,” he says.
As a result, SoundCloud’s ToU now reads, “We will not use your content to train generative AI models that aim to replicate or synthesise your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit consent, which must be affirmatively provided through an opt-in mechanism.”
Seton emphasises that SoundCloud believes AI should support and not replace artists, and that you’ll see further changes reflected online within its Terms of Use in the coming weeks.
“Our approach will always be guided by a single principle: artist-first. We’re going to keep showing up with transparency. We’re going to keep listening. And we’re going to make sure you’re informed and involved every step of the way,” he concludes.
For more information, you can read the full letter from Eliah Seton via the SoundCloud website.
The post SoundCloud CEO writes open letter following AI Terms of Use panic and promises more transparency in the future appeared first on MusicTech.
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