HarmonyCloak: Making Music Unlearnable for Generative AI

[Whatsmynaim]

https://mosis.eecs.utk.edu/harmonycloak.html

With artists like Paul McCartney and Elton John now being upset with people using their music as a training model for AI. Should we be afraid that music streaming services will be using HarmonyCloak, or something similar to protect their catalogue? And who knows. Artists might even force them to use it to agree to be on their platform. We'll see. But have a listen to the samples on their website. The music itself is quite bad (90s midi) but I can still tell it does ruin the timing and makes it out of tune.

"HarmonyCloak is designed to protect musicians from the unauthorized exploitation of their work by generative AI models. At its core, HarmonyCloak functions by introducing imperceptible, error-minimizing noise into musical compositions. While the music sounds exactly the same to human listeners.." Well. That's not true.

[Arjen]

Well, don't you think that streaming services like spotify doesn’t have any interest in protecting genuine music? It is of course in the interest of the musicians to protect, but do they have the power to stand up against AI using their initial products? Not the if they’re not a very big star I suppose. See the Spotify thread and how streaming services produces their own setlists, partly manipulating originals into ‘ new music’, not willing to pay that much for the music, just to make it profitable for the shareholders.
In more than one way there are interesting times to (over)come I suppose.

[ThomasOK]

Yes, we are in for a lot of interesting things to come in the next half decade plus. AI being used all over the place (movies, TV, music, medicine, writing, etc.), self-driving cars, humanoid robots, flights to Mars, etc. A fair bit of this will be in great part due to the vision of one rather remarkable man (even if some don't like him). But let's just hope the AI doesn't get unhappy with us.

As far as the music part goes I am quite comfortable that my 2700 plus vinyl records of all types of music running on my Klimax LP12 and all the lovely Lejonklou electronics will keep me very happy regardless of what the streaming behemoths do. Always have a good backup!

It occurs to me that they have probably given HarmonyCloak an appropriate name! Although I haven't heard it I have never been happy with any of the other "inaudible" music "enhancement" systems. From Dolby B NR up through MDA they have all made the music itself less enjoyable.

[Tony Tune-age]

As far as the music part goes I am quite comfortable that my 2700 plus vinyl records of all types of music running on my Klimax LP12 and all the lovely Lejonklou electronics will keep me very happy regardless of what the streaming behemoths do. Always have a good backup!

+1
Same here Thomas, and although I don't have 2,700 albums...I'm near the 2,000 mark and still counting! Plus having the Lejonklou front end components has really added to my enjoyment 100%

Cheers