Becoming a music composer has been made easier for Apple users after Suno, the artificial intelligence company that made text-to-music generation a reality, rolled out its iOS app despite legal battles with record labels over copyright infringement.

The mobile app’s launch came with CEO Mikey Shulman’s announcement that 12 million customers have used Suno AI music for “self-expression, connecting, teaching, and fun,” two million more than the app’s number of users since May.

New App Features

The iOS application functions similarly to the browser version, allowing users to convert text prompts into any desired song complete with instrumentals, vocals, and arrangement in a few moments. Several additional features are also available that let clients incorporate their voice in the production of artificial intelligence (AI) music, showcase prompts into a library, and match songs with their mood.

Suno offers users a free and pro plan for the app, which operates using Suno version 3.5, formerly only available to paid subscribers. The free plan grants 50 credits that reset every day, while the pro version can cost $10 monthly for 2,500 daily credits or $30 monthly for 10,000 daily credits.

Both paid plan options allow users to retain commercial rights to the songs they generate, whereas Suno owns the music produced by free users.

Presently, the app can only be downloaded in the US through the Apple store on iOS, but an Android version is expected to roll out globally in the next few days as the company aims to reach a broader market.

The Legal Battles

Amid these milestones, Suno is haunted by legal obstacles alongside fellow AI music business Udio after major record labels filed a lawsuit against the companies for widespread copyright infringement.

Among these labels are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Records, which are all represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which alleges that the companies were modeling their AI data using the work of top artists without their license.

In a statement issued by Chief Executive Mitch Glazier, the RIAA recognizes that AI can be used sustainably to build tools that put inspiring artists and songwriters in the driving seat, but it also stresses that “unlicensed services like Suno and Udio set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for [everyone].”

The record labels are demanding that the AI companies admit to poaching their copyrighted materials without permission on top of compensations amounting to $150,000 per infringed work after discovering striking similarities between AI-generated songs and popular tracks produced by real-life singers like Abba, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and James Brown, among others.  

When asked about these claims, CEO Shulman insisted that Suno’s use of musical data to train its AI is legal under fair use. “Our technology is designed to generate completely new outputs, not to memorize and regurgitate pre-existing content,” he added, completely denying allegations of stealing copyrighted music.  

This resolution of this case can set a precedent for the future of the AI music industry as it may determine whether companies can continue to operate under the protection of fair use or stunt the advancement of these technologies.