AI music and copyright: the basics

This guide explains the general picture for creators. It is not legal advice, and the law is different from country to country. If a release matters commercially, talk to a lawyer where you live.

Two different questions

When people ask "do I own my AI song?", they are usually asking two things at once.

1. What does the generator's contract say? Your plan's terms decide what the tool company allows you to do with the output: keep it, publish it, sell it.
2. Does copyright law protect the song? That decides whether you can stop other people from copying it. It is a question of law, and no contract can create it.

The answers can differ. Suno's terms, for example, assign Suno's rights in your output to you on a paid plan, and in the same document say Suno makes no promise that any copyright will exist in it.

What the US Copyright Office says

In January 2025 the US Copyright Office published Part 2 of its report on copyright and artificial intelligence, on copyrightability. Its main points, in plain words:

• Copyright protects human authorship. Material generated by AI is not protected on its own.
• Prompts alone are not enough. With today's tools, the Office concluded that a prompt does not give the person typing it enough control over what comes out to make them its author, even after many attempts.
• What you add can be protected. Human-made material that is perceptible in the result, such as lyrics you wrote, and your creative selection, arrangement or modification of AI output, can be protected.
• It is decided case by case.

So a song where you wrote the lyrics, chose and edited the takes, and arranged the result has protectable parts. A song made from a one-line prompt may have none.

Outside the United States

Other countries answer differently. The United Kingdom's copyright law, for example, has long had a rule for computer-generated works: the author is taken to be the person who made the arrangements necessary for the work to be created. How that applies to modern generators has not been settled by the courts. Elsewhere the rules differ again, and several countries are reviewing them.

What you can do today

• Write your own lyrics. They are the clearest human part of a song, and they are yours.
• Keep your working files. Prompts, takes, edits and dates show what you did.
• Read your plan's terms. Especially on free tiers, which often allow only personal, non-commercial use.
• Do not copy anyone. Avoid prompts that name real artists or copy existing songs or lyrics.
• Describe your contribution. In your track's description, say what you did: wrote the lyrics, edited the arrangement, chose between versions. Listeners like to know, and it is an honest record. See how to write a track description.

The label settlements

Since late 2025 the major record companies have moved from suing AI music companies to licensing them. Warner Music Group settled with Suno in November 2025, and Suno said it would replace its current models with licensed ones in 2026. Universal Music Group settled with Udio in October 2025, and Udio switched off downloads as it moved toward a licensed service. These deals change what the tools will let you do with songs; they do not change the copyright rules above. See Suno vs Udio vs Mureka for what each tool offers now.

Publishing on Tunami.ai

When you upload to Tunami.ai you confirm that you have the right to publish the track, and every upload is reviewed before it goes public. Tunami.ai is streaming only, so listeners cannot download your file. Read our terms and, if you believe a track copies your work, our DMCA page.