Under current global law, copyright can only be granted to human beings. If you use AI to assist your process—such as for mixing, mastering, or generating a baseline—you own the copyright only to the portions you creatively controlled. If the AI generates the lyrics and melody entirely on its own, those elements are uncopyrightable and fall into the public domain. To collect royalties and land sync deals, you must prove “substantial human involvement.”
1. The “Human Authorship” Test
The US Copyright Office and international courts use a specific standard to determine ownership: Was the “creative spark” human or algorithmic?
- Scenario A: You wrote the lyrics and melody, but used AI for the beat.
- Ownership: You own the Composition (Publishing). You may have limited or no copyright over the specific AI-generated Master (Recording).
- Scenario B: You used AI to generate lyrics, then you edited them and wrote the music.
- Ownership: You own the music. The lyrics may only be protected in the specific way you “arranged and edited” them.
- Scenario C: You hummed a melody and used AI to turn it into a full orchestral track.
- Ownership: This is a grey area, but generally, your original melody is your intellectual property.
2. The Terms of Service Trap
Even if the law says you could own it, the AI software’s Terms of Service (ToS) might say otherwise.
- Many “Free” AI tools include clauses that give the software company a royalty-free license to use your creations forever.
- Some tools claim “co-ownership” of anything you produce on their platform.
- Without reading the fine print, you might be giving away 50% of your rights before you even distribute the song.
3. The “Distribution Trap”: Why No Ownership = No Money
Distribution services like DistroKid or TuneCore will put your AI-assisted music on Spotify, but they cannot grant you legal ownership.
- The Collection Wall: You cannot legally register a 100% AI song with a PRO (like ASCAP, BMI, or PRS). If you can’t register it, you can’t collect Songwriting Royalties.
- The Master Royalty Leak: If you don’t own the copyright to the “Master” because it was generated by an AI tool, you may not have the legal right to stop someone else from using that same audio file for free.
- The Sync Block: Music supervisors for TV and film will not touch music with “unclear ownership.” If you cannot guarantee that no AI company owns a piece of your song, you will be disqualified from high-paying sync placements.
4. Why You’re Losing Money Without Publishing Administration
If you are an “AI-Assisted” artist, you are likely only collecting the Master Share through your distributor. But as a human creator, your real value is in the Publishing Share.
- The 50% Loss: In AI-assisted music, the lyrics and melody (the human part) are the only things that consistently hold value in court. If you aren’t using an administrator to collect those royalties, you’re losing half your paycheck.
- The “Black Box”: Without professional registration, your “human-derived” royalties end up in a global black box, eventually being handed over to major labels.
5. How Audiobulb Protects the Modern Creator
At Audiobulb, we bridge the gap between high-tech creation and traditional rights management.
- Sync Pitching Service: We represent artists who use AI as a tool, not a replacement. We help you package your music so supervisors know it is “Safe to Sync” and legally cleared.
- 0% Commission: We charge a flat $19.99/year. We don’t take a cut of your royalties, ensuring the profit from your creative efforts stays in your pocket.
- Global Legal Registration: We register your human-authored compositions with The MLC, PRS, IPRS, and more. This ensures your “Songwriter Share” is protected by law, even if the “Master” was AI-assisted.
- Active Rights Defense: Our technology tracks your music globally. If an AI platform uses your human-written songs to train its models without permission, we help you identify and flag those infringements.
Summary
You own what you create; the AI owns what it generates. To build a sustainable career, you must ensure the “human” parts of your music are legally documented and professionally administered. A distributor is just a delivery man, but Audiobulb is your legal partner in the age of AI.
Your Next Step: Are you releasing AI-assisted music and want to ensure you legally own your “human” share? Join Audiobulb for $19.99/year to access our Sync Pitching Service and secure 100% of your global publishing royalties.