The music world is having a reckoning with AI. What began as outrage has turned into quiet curiosity, as artists who once dismissed the technology now use it behind studio doors. But beneath the shift lies a deeper problem that’s been around far longer than AI itself: the industry still struggles to prove who actually made what.
That’s the perspective of Sam Gabriel, a music and technology entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Beatlibrary, a subscription-based platform providing royalty-free instrumentals. In his view, the industry’s real work isn’t spotting AI at all. It’s building the systems that protect the people who make the music in the first place.
"The debate over simple 'yes/no' AI detection is a distraction. The real issue is ownership. Our focus is on verifying a work's origin and ensuring the creator receives proper credit and compensation. That foundation of trust and transparency is what will ultimately enable responsible AI use, not a simple detection tool," says Gabriel. Behind that argument is a growing divide between what artists say publicly and what they’re quietly doing in the studio.
-
Whispers and workflows: "The sentiment around AI and music from artists and producers has changed pretty fast. When Suno was first announced, everyone said it was the worst thing ever. Publicly that might still be true, but privately, a lot of people are experimenting with AI to enhance their workflows, even in professional studio sessions."
-
Credit gets lost: That quiet wave of experimentation is exposing a long-standing blind spot in music tech: it’s never built the infrastructure to verify who created what. "Music tech is focused on creation, collaboration, and monetization, but not on verifying that someone actually produced a piece of music. A simple four-bar loop can be used in hundreds of songs, generate millions of streams, and the original creator would never know. People are more receptive to new technologies, but only when they are guaranteed credit and compensation for their contributions."
If the industry doesn't create a trusted system for tracking a song's origin, profits will end up concentrated in the hands of a few major players. A neutral, third-party engine is the solution.Sam Gabriel - Co-Founder | BeatlibraryTo solve this, Gabriel is implementing a process that gives creators tangible proof of their work. His goal is to equip artists with verifiable documentation by checking originality from the moment of inception. He calls existing systems that rely on manual disclosure unrealistic, given that thousands of songs are uploaded daily, and points to automation as the solution to provide creators with the control that has been missing.
-
Creative hamster wheel: According to Gabriel, the reality calls for a change in focus that makes the data behind an audio file a creator's most valuable asset. He suggests that a focus on data ownership could allow artists to practice asset management instead of constant production, effectively turning their catalog into a form of digital real estate. "The data behind the music is more valuable than the audio file itself. When a producer can see their full digital catalog and understand the financial impact of every asset, they can make smarter career choices. Too many producers currently feel like they’re on a treadmill, constantly creating with no record of the actual value they’ve built," he explains.
-
Playing Switzerland: But any such vision hinges on widespread adoption, especially in the fragmented music business. Gabriel’s answer is to position his solution as a neutral arbiter in an ecosystem where a lack of shared standards risks concentrating profits in the hands of a few. "If the industry doesn't create a trusted system for tracking a song's origin, profits will end up concentrated in the hands of a few major players. A neutral, third-party engine is the solution. When an artist uploads music, the engine can automatically notify all parties when that work is used, pinging the creator, the user, and DSPs to ensure credit is properly assigned and AI involvement is tracked."
The path forward may require building a foundation of trust so solid that it can withstand any technological development. By focusing on verifiable ownership, the goal is to provide the transparency and control that proponents say creators have always lacked, turning a new technological challenge into a catalyst for a more equitable system.
"Technology will keep changing, but trust has to stay constant," Gabriel concludes. "If creators know their work is verified and protected, they’ll keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible."