Sweden’s STIM has launched a new licence requiring AI firms to pay royalties when using copyrighted music.
Sweden’s music rights organisation has launched a first-of-its-kind licence allowing artificial intelligence companies to use copyrighted songs for model training while ensuring creators are compensated.
The initiative, announced Tuesday by rights group STIM, comes amid growing lawsuits from artists and authors who accuse AI developers of exploiting copyrighted material without permission.
STIM, representing over 100,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers, said the licence ensures royalties are paid to creators when AI systems use their work.
According to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), music creators could face income losses of up to 24% by 2028 if safeguards are not introduced.
“We show that it is possible to embrace disruption without undermining human creativity. This is not just a commercial initiative but a blueprint for fair compensation and legal certainty for AI firms,” said Lina Heyman of STIM.