
8:10 AM PDT · August 5, 2025
The AI audio-generation unicorn ElevenLabs announced a caller exemplary connected Tuesday that allows users to generate music, which it claims is cleared for commercialized use.
This move marks ElevenLabs’ description beyond its main attraction frankincense acold successful its 3 years of existence, which has been building AI audio tools. ElevenLabs is simply a leader among companies making text-to-speech AI products, and it has expanded into conversational bots and devices that construe reside into different languages.
Alongside nan launch, Eleven Labs shared samples of its AI-generated music.
One features a synthetic sound rapping astir really it “came up done nan cracks pinch ambition successful my pocket” and near its hometown, walking from “Compton to nan Cosmos.” It’s unsettling to perceive a machine bespeak nan power and connection of artists for illustration Dr. Dre, N.W.A., and Kendrick Lamar, who really lived nan experiences that this exertion is attempting to emulate.
Given these concerns astir what worldly AI euphony procreation devices are trained on, it’s not truthful straightforward for startups to delve into euphony generation.
Last year, Suno and Udio were sued by nan Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), nan waste and acquisition statement that represents nan U.S. euphony industry. These lawsuits allege that Suno and Udio trained their music-generation models connected copyrighted material. The companies are now reportedly discussing licensing deals pinch awesome grounds labels.
ElevenLabs besides announced deals pinch Merlin Network and Kobalt Music Group, 2 integer publishing platforms for independent musicians, to usage their materials for AI training.
According to Merlin’s website, nan institution represents awesome artists for illustration Adele, Nirvana, Mitski, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Phoebe Bridgers; Kobalt represents stars for illustration Beck, Bon Iver, and Childish Gambino.
The position of these deals are not known, nor whether these artists’ euphony has been included successful training data.
Amanda Silberling is simply a elder writer astatine TechCrunch covering nan intersection of exertion and culture. She has besides written for publications for illustration Polygon, MTV, nan Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is nan co-host of Wow If True, a podcast astir net culture, pinch subject fabrication writer Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked arsenic a grassroots organizer, depository educator, and movie show coordinator. She holds a B.A. successful English from nan University of Pennsylvania and served arsenic a Princeton successful Asia Fellow successful Laos.
Send tips done Signal, an encrypted messaging app, to @amanda.100. For thing else, email amanda@techcrunch.com.