AI music company Suno just dropped two major releases. First came its v5 model, which it calls its most powerful AI music generator yet. Then, just days later, it launched Suno Studio, a full-blown digital audio workstation (DAW) powered by that new AI. 1
- Suno Studio's Functionality: This AI-powered DAW enables users to generate music stems from text prompts and offers a familiar multitrack interface, allowing for exporting high-quality audio and MIDI files.
- Community Reception: While lauded by songwriters and hobbyists for its ability to overcome creative blocks, professional audio engineers criticize the platform for stem bleeding, rendering them unusable for professional mixing and mastering.
- Legal Challenges: Suno is facing a major lawsuit from the RIAA, including allegations of illegal "stream-ripping" to acquire training data, which threatens its future and could significantly impact the development of AI in music.
Suno says this new platform will “fundamentally change today’s music production process”. It’s a bold move to shift from a fun text-to-song generator to a serious tool for professional musicians.
But there’s a huge problem. This launch comes at the worst possible time for the company. Suno is in a massive legal battle with the world’s biggest record labels over copyright infringement. And the fight just got much more serious with new allegations of illegal music piracy. So, is Suno Studio the future of music, or is it an amazing piece of tech built on a shaky legal foundation?
What is Suno Studio and How Does it Work?
Think of a normal DAW like Ableton or Logic Pro. They are amazing for editing audio that already exists. Suno Studio is different because it puts AI generation at the heart of the creative process. Instead of just editing, you can create new audio from scratch right on your timeline. 2
Here are the key features:
- Generate Stems from Text: You can highlight a section of your project, type a prompt like “funky bassline” or “dreamy female vocals,” and the AI will create endless options for you.
- Familiar DAW Interface: If you’ve used a DAW before, the multitrack timeline will look familiar. Users say it feels a bit like Logic Pro or Pro Tools.
- Export for Pro Workflows: This is a big deal for serious producers. You can export your AI-generated tracks as both high-quality audio (WAV) and MIDI files. This lets you take the ideas from Suno and finish them in your favorite DAW.
This whole platform is powered by Suno’s new v5 model. The company claims it offers a “leap in audio quality,” with more natural vocals and better, cleaner mixes. This improved quality is essential for a tool aimed at professionals.
Suno Faces a Staggering Demand: $150,000 for Every Single Song in Copyright Lawsuit
What Musicians Are Saying: The Good and The Bad
The reaction from the music community is split right down the middle.
On one hand, songwriters and hobbyists are calling it a “complete game changer”. Grammy-winning producer Om’Mas Keith, who has worked with Frank Ocean and Jay-Z, said his team was able to “iterate with unprecedented speed and efficiency”. Many users see it as the ultimate tool for beating writer’s block, acting like a “co-producer or band member” that can spark new ideas. 3
On the other hand, professional audio engineers are pointing out some major flaws. The biggest complaint by far is about the exported stems. Engineers say the stems are “unusable” for professional work because they are not clean. Sounds from different instruments “bleed” into each other. For example, a bass track might have bits of vocals and synths in it, which makes proper mixing and mastering “impossible”. Many agree that while Suno is great for sketching ideas, it’s “not even close yet” to being ready for release-quality tracks.
The Elephant in the Room: Suno’s Massive Lawsuit
While Suno is trying to win over producers, it’s also fighting for its life in court. In June 2024, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing giants like Sony, Universal, and Warner Music, sued Suno for massive copyright infringement. They claim Suno trained its AI on huge amounts of copyrighted music without permission.
Recently, the lawsuit got much worse for Suno. The record labels added a new, explosive allegation: that Suno used illegal “stream-ripping” to steal music from YouTube for its training data. Stream-ripping is a form of piracy where you use software to get around protections and illegally download audio. 4
This is a critical development. AI companies often defend themselves by claiming “fair use.” But if the training data was obtained illegally, that defense could fall apart completely. A similar case against the AI company Anthropic led to a massive $1.5 billion settlement after they were accused of using pirated books. The record labels are now using the same strategy against Suno, seeking damages of up to $150,000 per song, which could add up to billions. 5
The Final Verdict
Suno Studio is an incredible piece of technology. It’s a powerful “imagination engine” that makes it easier than ever to come up with musical ideas. However, its technical flaws, especially the messy stems, mean it’s not yet the professional tool it aims to be.
But Suno’s biggest challenge isn’t technical, it’s legal. The stream-ripping allegations are an existential threat. No matter how good the technology is, its future is uncertain if it was built on a foundation of pirated music. Suno is pushing forward with innovation, but it’s on a collision course with the music industry and copyright law. The outcome of this legal battle will likely define the future of AI in music.
You can find out more and access Suno Studio here
- https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/suno-launches-its-own-daw-after-introducing-most-powerful-model-yet/ ↩︎
- https://forklog.com/en/suno-unveils-suno-studio-a-generative-daw/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/SunoAI/comments/1nr55ro/suno_studio_review_from_an_industry_pro_its/ ↩︎
- https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/inspired-by-anthropics-1-5b-book-piracy-payout-record-labels-accuse-suno-of-illegally-stream-ripping-music-from-youtube/ ↩︎
- https://routenote.com/blog/the-music-industry-doubles-down-on-lawsuit-against-suno-adding-fresh-stream-ripping-allegations/ ↩︎
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