The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence has introduced a complex challenge for the creative industries: how to balance technological innovation with the rights of original creators. While licensing agreements provide a foundational framework for using copyrighted works to train models, tracking how individual compositions and recordings influence specific AI-generated outputs remains a significant hurdle. To address this critical gap, generative audio company Sonilo and rights management technology firm Musical AI have announced a strategic partnership aimed at establishing a transparent, sustainable model for AI-generated music.

The collaboration, announced on October 27, focuses on building an ecosystem where licensing, attribution, and compensation are integrated directly into the generative process. By combining Sonilo's video-native music generation models with Musical AI's attribution infrastructure, the companies aim to demonstrate that the future of generative audio can support, rather than exploit, the creative community.

The Mechanics of Video-Native Audio and Attribution

Sonilo specializes in building generative audio models designed specifically for creators, developers, and media platforms. Unlike traditional music libraries, Sonilo's technology generates custom soundtracks and sound effects directly from video footage, text inputs, or both. This approach ensures that the generated audio aligns precisely with the narrative and emotional beats of the video content.

Crucially, Sonilo builds its generative models using licensed source material. However, licensing the training data is only the initial step in ensuring fair compensation. The core challenge lies in determining how much a specific licensed work influences a newly generated piece of music.

Through the partnership, Musical AI's proprietary technology will analyze the outputs generated by Sonilo. The system measures the specific contribution of licensed recordings and compositions to each unique audio output. This analysis generates detailed reporting data, which Sonilo provides to its licensing partners. This data enables precise accounting of usage, ensuring that songwriters, artists, and rights holders receive appropriate compensation based on the actual influence of their work on the final AI-generated product.

Addressing the Industry's Attribution Challenge

The music industry has actively sought solutions to track the usage of copyrighted material in AI training and generation. While traditional licensing models cover the permission to use music, they often lack the granularity required to track influence in a generative context. As AI models synthesize entirely new compositions inspired by existing works, identifying these contributions becomes essential for maintaining healthy relationships between technology platforms and rights holders.

Keli Li, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Sonilo, emphasized the importance of this connection, stating that the future of AI music cannot be built at the expense of the creators who make the technology possible. Li noted that the industry requires a more robust method to link AI-generated music back to the original artists and rights holders. By building Sonilo around licensed music and partnering with Musical AI, the company aims to establish an ecosystem that protects creator value while sharing the benefits of generative technology.

Sean Power, Chief Executive Officer of Musical AI, echoed these sentiments, pointing out that the long-term potential of AI music depends entirely on respecting the creators behind the source material. Power highlighted that licensing alone is insufficient; rights holders must have clear visibility into how their work is utilized and how it contributes to generated outputs. The partnership serves as a practical demonstration of how attribution technology can foster a more transparent and sustainable industry model.

Future Outlook and Ecosystem Integration

The partnership comes at a pivotal moment for Sonilo as the company finalizes master recording and publishing agreements with major rights organizations. These agreements will further expand the licensed library powering Sonilo's models. Additionally, the company is preparing to launch its new music model update, which will integrate the attribution capabilities developed with Musical AI.

Based in San Francisco and backed by venture capital firm B Capital, Sonilo is positioning itself as a creator-first platform in the generative audio space. By partnering with Musical AI, a Canadian rights technology company specializing in consent management and attribution infrastructure, Sonilo is attempting to set a new standard for the industry. As generative music platforms continue to evolve, the ability to provide transparent reporting across both composition and sound recording rights will likely become a baseline requirement for platforms seeking to operate legally and ethically in the global media landscape.