Several text-to-music generators are now on the market, including offerings from Meta and Google. However, the Suno AI music generator is becoming increasingly popular — likely because it creates original lyrics and vocals, and because it leverages the power of ChatGPT.
So what is Suno and how does it work?
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[Verse]
You wag your tail, you make me smile
You're always there, going the extra mile (mile)
You're my best friend, my loyal companion
Through thick and thin, you're the star of my universe (ooh-yeah)
[Chorus]
I love you, oh my furry best friend (best friend)
You're with me till the very end (the very end)
You lick my face, you give me a hug
You fill my heart with so much love (oh-oh-oh-oh)
Even though the clips are short, you can extend them by clicking on three dots and clicking "Continue from the song." There you have the option to drop your own lyrics and style of music or randomize both.
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Free users get 50 credits per day, and a single song generation takes up 10 credits. If you need more credits, you can upgrade to the Pro Plan for $8 per month, which gives users 2,500 credits per month; or the Premier Plan, which gives users access to 10,000 credits per month.
Both subscription plans have other perks such as general commercial terms, optional credit top-ups priority generating queue, and the ability to run 10 jobs at once. If you want to use Suno in Copilot, you can find ZDNET's step-by-step instructions here.
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As a result, if you are a paying subscriber you can use the music for commercial use, such as posting the songs on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music. Free users can only post on social media with attribution and are not allowed to use the songs commercially. Regardless of which version you use, if you input your own lyrics, you retain ownership of that.
Are the songs subject to copyright protection? Here's what Suno shares on its website:
"The availability and scope of copyright protection for content generated (in whole or in part) using artificial intelligence is a complex and dynamic area of law, which is rapidly evolving and varies among countries. We encourage you to consult a qualified attorney to advise you about the latest development and the degree of copyright protection available for the output you generate using Suno."
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As AI becomes more pervasive in the music industry, we will continue to see developments in policy that carefully delineate the limitations and allowances of AI. For example, over the summer the Recording Academy addressed how AI-generated music and content would be considered for the Grammy Awards.