As artificial intelligence continues to reshape creative industries, SoundCloud has found itself at the center of a heated debate over how tech platforms handle user-generated content.
The controversy stems from a clause added to SoundCloud’s Terms of Use in February 2024.
The terms stated that content uploaded by users could be used to “inform, train, develop or serve as input to artificial intelligence or machine intelligence technologies.”
That language raised immediate concerns among artists and rights advocates. They feared their music might be used without consent to train generative AI models.
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Backlash Fuels Industry-Wide Debate
The issue quickly gained traction after a report from Futurism shed light on the ambiguous clause.
Discussions spread across social media and creative forums, prompting widespread demands for clarity.
In response, SoundCloud issued statements to media outlets.
The statement asserting that the company has never used artist content to train AI. They also does not allow third parties to scrape its platform for that purpose.
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SoundCloud CEO Addresses the Community
On May 14, SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton released a public letter aimed at restoring trust.
Seton reaffirmed that SoundCloud does not — and never has — used creator content to train artificial intelligence models of any kind.
He clarified that the platform does not engage in generative AI development and does not allow any external actors to harvest user data for those purposes.
Seton acknowledged that the language in the Terms of Use was “too broad and not clear enough,” which created confusion among users.
He accepted responsibility for the miscommunication and announced a three-step action plan to revise the policy.
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Clarifying the Role of AI at SoundCloud
The intent behind the controversial clause was not to exploit artist content, but to support AI-powered features already operating within the platform.
These include personalized music recommendations, smarter content discovery, fraud prevention, and enhanced content identification.
Seton emphasized that Musiio — an AI company acquired by SoundCloud in 2022 — is used exclusively for organizing and discovering talent, not for developing generative music or mimicking artist styles.
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Protecting Artists with Transparent Safeguards
To reinforce its commitment to artist rights, SoundCloud pointed to several technical protections already in place.
One key feature is a “no AI” tag that allows creators to prevent their content from being used in unintended ways.
The platform also reassured users that artists maintain full ownership and control over their music.
While SoundCloud didn’t fully rule out future AI-related features, the company made it clear that any such developments would require an explicit opt-in from users.
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Looking Ahead: Trust, Consent, and Innovation
This incident places SoundCloud at the forefront of a much larger conversation around AI, consent, and creative ownership.
As tech companies continue to explore new AI applications, platforms like SoundCloud must strike a balance between innovation and accountability.
In closing his letter, Seton thanked artists for holding the company accountable and pledged to maintain transparency going forward.
He stressed that the company will continue listening, adapting, and including the community in every major decision.