SOCAN Partners with Musical AI to Grant Canadian Creators Control Over AI-Generated Music Use

On July 20 2026, SOCAN, the Canadian performance‑rights organization that represents more than 175,000 songwriters, composers and publishers, announced a partnership with Musical AI, a Toronto‑based rights‑management technology firm. The deal will give Canadian creators tools to consent to, attribute, and collect royalties when their music appears in generative‑AI content.

SOCAN has long championed copyright reform and led a national campaign against unlicensed AI training. The organization collects licensing fees through a program approved by the Copyright Board of Canada and distributes royalties worldwide. In 2025, SOCAN began allowing semi‑AI‑generated works to be registered in its database and has worked with partners to explore fair attribution for AI‑assisted songs.

Musical AI’s platform lets rights holders specify which parts of their catalogue can be used in AI projects. The system also enables AI companies to attribute and license the music they generate. Under the new partnership, Musical AI will analyze AI‑generated content that has scraped or sampled Canadian music, produce documentation that can be used to license and attribute rights, and provide opt‑in tools for creators.

“If you think about all the ways that we typically license users of music, it’s always with the rights holders… If you’re generating revenue off the backs of creators, then there should be a revenue share in that,” said Jennifer Brown, SOCAN’s chief executive. Brown emphasized that the initiative is a response to the growing problem of AI models that ingest copyrighted works without permission.

Reactions from industry observers have been mixed. Catherine Moore, a professor in the Music Technology & Digital Media Program at the University of Toronto, questioned how the system will detect “slivers” of music that may be used in AI‑generated tracks and how those could be reimbursed. Ottawa folk singer Lynn Miles, who discovered that 19 of her songs had been used in AI‑generated music, described the situation as “heartbreaking” and warned that tech companies must face legal or monetary consequences to incentivize proper credit. Matt Bergman, a long‑time Ontario musician, noted that while technology can record real sounds, the proliferation of AI‑generated music has altered listening habits and “decimated the music business since 2000.” He cautioned that a perfect‑sounding AI track may lack the imperfections that give music its soul.

The partnership could establish a framework for transparent attribution and licensing that might influence how AI companies compensate creators and set a precedent for other rights organizations worldwide. However, the initiative will require a proof‑of‑concept on a larger scale before the tools are finalized, and the mechanics of royalty distribution are still under development.

In summary, SOCAN and Musical AI are working to give Canadian creators a say in how their works are used by AI. The collaboration represents a concrete step toward bridging the gap between generative‑AI content and existing copyright frameworks, but its success will depend on technical feasibility, industry adoption and the resolution of key operational details.