AI license information
Stim introduces new licensing model for the use of music in AI services
Stim is launching a new licensing model for the use of music in AI services. The aim is to meet the rapid changes in the AI landscape with solutions that safeguard copyright while encouraging technological innovation.
Since early 2023, the development of AI and its role in music has accelerated dramatically. Stim sees great potential in this technological progress as new tools are making it easier than ever for people around the world to create music. However, this shift also brings challenges that affect the broader music ecosystem.
As part of Stim’s proactive approach to emerging technologies, a dedicated AI license will be introduced starting September 2025. The license has been developed in close dialogue with rights holders and industry stakeholders, with the goal of finding constructive ways forward.
The first version of the license applies only to works for which songwriters and music publishers have been consulted and have given their explicit approval. Stim aims to expand the licensing scope over time to include additional works, but is starting on a smaller scale to test the model and ensure that it works as intended. The rights holders currently included in the license own the rights to both the musical works and the corresponding sound recordings.
If you represent a service or company interested in obtaining the license, you can find more information here.
Frequently asked questions about AI
The rapid development of AI and music presents significant risks of future revenue loss for rightsholders. Several analyses and forecasts point in the same direction: human-created music risks increasingly being replaced by royalty-free AI-generated music.
In 2024, STIM’s sister society APRA AMCOS published the report AI and Music, prepared by the independent analysis firm Goldmedia. The study shows that up to one quarter of Australian songwriters’ revenues may be lost by 2028 if no protective mechanisms are implemented.
The European organizations GEMA (Germany) and SACEM (France) have had Goldmedia apply the same method in their respective territories. The results show that 71 % of members are likely to be negatively financially affected by the development of AI, with potential revenue losses of up to 27 % by 2028.
The global umbrella organization for copyright societies, CISAC, has also conducted a global study: Study on the economic impact of Generative AI in the Music and Audiovisual Industries, compiled by PMP Strategy. The results show that up to 24 % of creators’ income globally risks being lost as a result of AI development.
Against this background, it is essential that AI services which are trained on and generate music using copyright-protected works provide compensation to the rightsholders whose works are used.
The AI license is a result of extensive work carried out over a long period of time, in collaboration with legal experts, music publishers, songwriters, researchers, other collecting societies, and AI experts. As part of the process, STIM has conducted a thorough mapping and knowledge-gathering exercise in close dialogue with AI stakeholders in the music sector.
The aim has been to create a comprehensive understanding of how AI technology is used, in order to design a license that protects the interests of rightsholders while also paving the way for the economic potential we believe copyrighted music holds in the context of AI. The license enables AI developers to use music legally and transparently, while ensuring that songwriters and publishers receive proper economic compensation for the use of their musical works.
This first version of the license includes only works from songwriters and music publishers who have been individually asked and have given their consent. It involves joint licensing of both musical works and sound recording rights, where the starting point has been master recordings from rights holders in Cora Music, and where the works are represented by STIM globally.
STIM has chosen this initial limitation to ensure that the licensing model works as intended before expanding it. Any future expansion will take place in close dialogue with affiliated rights holders.
If you, as a songwriter or music publisher, are interested in having your works included in future licensing for AI services, there will be opportunities to participate. Until then, we encourage you to stay updated through our news on the topic.
STIM considers that copyright-protected material used as training data for AI models generates value at several levels. It is not only about the training itself, but also about making the AI service available to users, and about the music that is generated being further distributed to, for example, streaming or video services and generating additional income. This value is built upon the use of protected musical works, and therefore rightsholders should be compensated in proportion to the contribution their works have made.
The right granted to authors under Section 2 of the Swedish Copyright Act (1960:729) includes the exclusive right to reproduce the work and to make it available to the public.
Training AI models using copyright-protected works means, in practice, that the work is copied into a digital format and analyzed. This constitutes reproduction, to which the author holds exclusive rights.
Providing an AI service also constitutes making the work available to the public. Even though music generated entirely by AI is not protected by copyright, since there is no human author, it is nonetheless based on values derived from protected music.
The value contributed by training data to an AI model does not end at the training stage. It enables a service to be offered to users and the generated music to be distributed further to third parties such as streaming services. Therefore, AI-generated output can be seen as a transformation in a new form, in which the influence of the original musical work remains, thus motivating that this use is also covered by licensing.
The license grants the licensee the right to make copies of music recordings and associated musical works for the purpose of preparing and training AI services.
The license also includes master rights, meaning that both the composition and recording rights are covered within a single license. However, it should be noted that this setup will not necessarily apply to every license agreement. The licensing model is designed with a degree of flexibility and adaptability, although the fundamental principles remain.
The license allows the licensee to analyze musical structures, patterns, and metadata, to extract a generalized understanding of the works for the purpose of training an AI model. If the model is to be retrained in a new version, or needs further training, a new license must be obtained.
The license makes it possible for users to generate music with the help of the AI service, for example through a subscription model. It also allows for the generated music to be distributed to third parties, such as streaming platforms.
At the same time, the license includes clear conditions to ensure that the output does not compete with rightsholders’ works on unfair terms. This is a central principle of the model: to protect the value of rightsholders catalogues and prevent the erosion of their works.
The license, in its basic form, does not include sublicensing of the generated music for large-scale advertising campaigns, or for use in television, radio, or film production, or other comparable exploitation. Such use requires a separate agreement between the parties in each individual case.
Many AI services today use copyright-protected music without permission and do not pay any compensation to those who created it. At the same time, these services generate music that can compete with the original works.
If this is allowed to continue over time, it risks undermining the statutory rights and income opportunities of songwriters and music publishers. STIM is therefore working with many other stakeholders in the industry to introduce sustainable solutions in the market.
A key tool is licensing, to ensure reasonable remuneration and to regulate how music generated via AI services may be used, while also showing both the market and lawmakers that a constructive path forward exists.
As an affiliated rightsholder, you can therefore help support solutions that combine technological development with strong copyright protection by participating in the AI license.
Compensation initially consists of a fixed license fee, calculated based on factors such as the scale of the business, the number of musical works used, and other relevant parameters. This compensation is distributed equally among all rightsholders whose works are included in the license.
Additionally, there is ongoing revenue-based compensation, based on income from subscriptions and the output generated by the AI service, if it is distributed to third parties and generates revenue.
Since the licensee compensates the rightsholders both for training the AI model and for the music that is later generated, two different distribution principles are needed.
Compensation for training is distributed proportionally and equally among all works included in the license.
For generated music (output), a different method is required: attribution, in which the compensation is linked to the specific works that influenced the output. Where attribution does not provide a reliable basis, analogy-based distribution will be used instead, based on how the works were used in the AI service’s training data.
STIM is closely following the development of attribution technology. It is a relatively new and untested method, but if proven reliable, it can enable distribution of income based on actual influence.
As part of the license, STIM is introducing attribution. This means that relevant data is analyzed and structured before it is provided to the AI service. The service is then required to use an attribution provider (such as Sureel) to analyze the generated music. Initially, STIM will require licensees to submit such analyses monthly, to learn more, monitor developments, and evaluate the technology.
At the moment, this license only covers music from specifically consulted rights holders. Our intention is to gradually expand the scope of the license to include more songwriters and publishers, but in this initial phase we aim to test the model in practice and ensure it functions effectively. The rights holders currently included in the license hold the rights to both the musical works and the associated recordings.
If you are interested in having your music included in the license in the future, it is important to remember that Stim represents the copyright to the musical work itself, but generally not the rights to the recording. If you do not own the recordings yourself, or if the works were created in collaboration with others, you will therefore need permission from the master rights holder as well as consent from all co-authors.
Until we open the license to a broader group of participants, we encourage all Stim-affiliated members to follow our updates and the information published on our website.
In your future royalty statements from STIM, you will be able to see where the income originates, whether it relates to the training of an AI service, or generated music (output) from a licensed AI service where your work has had an influence. The payments will be reported in a similar way to how you currently see income from streaming, radio, TV, etc.
The license only covers works from songwriters and music publishers who have explicitly given their consent. If you have not been directly asked to be included in the AI license, your music is not included.
As the market develops, STIM will maintain an ongoing dialogue with affiliated rights holders with the aim of gradually expanding the licensed repertoire base. For the time being, however, you can be completely assured that your music will not be licensed by STIM to AI services without your direct consent.
The economic compensation consists partly of a fixed license fee that gives the AI service the right to use your works to train an AI model. The fixed fee is determined by the size of the business, how many works are used that are represented by STIM, and is distributed equally among those works. There is therefore no fixed amount in advance; it is calculated individually for each licensee.
In addition to this, there is a continuous compensation in the form of a percentage share of the AI service’s income, for example from subscriptions and from the distribution of output to third parties. The higher the income of the service, the greater the compensation to STIM, and ultimately to the songwriters and music publishers.
Since the first license was signed in September 2025, there are currently no concrete examples of how large an individual payout from an AI service may be. This will become clearer as the system becomes established and more agreements are made.
Even after the license period ends, certain obligations remain regarding the use of the generated music, in order to prevent long-term erosion of the value of music. The licensee remains responsible for payment for both their own and third-party use of the output.
STIM follows and contributes to national and international developments in copyright and intellectual property law, with the aim of ensuring that songwriters and music publishers receive the compensation they are entitled to for AI-generated output, in accordance with current or future legislation.