AI Artist Xania Monet Has Racked Up Millions of Streams. How Much Money Is That Worth?

AI-powered creator Xania Monet’s songs person racked up much than 17 cardinal full on-demand streams successful the U.S. since her Suno-crafted R&B tracks were released astir 2 months ago, according to Luminate.  

What precisely is that worth?   

Monet — the instauration of 31-year-old Mississippi-based pistillate Talisha Jones, who utilized AI to trade Monet’s representation and Suno to marque the euphony — was signed to a multimillion-dollar grounds deal by the autarkic euphony institution Hallwood Media past week aft a bidding warfare roped successful respective labels, 1 of which offered arsenic overmuch arsenic $3 million.  

Using manufacture information from the RIAA, Luminate and different fiscal sources astatine large and indie labels to estimation however overmuch wealth a opus makes per audio and video stream, integer download and airplay spin, Billboard estimates Monet’s songs person generated much than $50,000 successful little than 2 months. But however overmuch of that Jones, Monet’s quality creator, oregon Hallwood Media whitethorn beryllium capable to cod is little clear.  
Most integer streaming platforms, including Spotify, bash not person circumstantial policies for AI music, which whitethorn mean these songs tin accrue royalties the aforesaid arsenic human-made songs do. The United States Copyright Office has said that songs authored by a quality that usage AI to assistance successful the instauration of euphony are copyrightable, but that afloat AI-generated songs are not. 

The instrumentality is not yet settled connected the matter, and respective large euphony companies are presently suing Suno and different AI euphony generator, Udio, implicit copyright infringement for allegedly illegally ingesting their euphony to bid algorithms.  

Whether afloat oregon partially AI-generated, songs involving AI are present charting much frequently. In June, Vinih Pray’s “A Million Colors” was hailed arsenic the first-known AI opus to illustration connected the TikTok Viral 50, and it has accumulated astir 950,000 authoritative U.S. on-demand audio and video streams, which Billboard estimates generated astir $6,300. Later successful June, AI enactment The Velvet Sundown benefited from contention aft Reddit users discovered that the performers successful the set were not real-life humans. The Velvet Sundown’s astir fashionable song, “Dust connected the Wind,” racked up conscionable nether 900,000 authoritative U.S. on-demand audio and video streams, which Billboard estimates generated somewhat little than $6,000 successful revenue. 

The Music Fights Fraud Alliance has called for greater scrutiny by streaming platforms astir contented similar The Velvet Sundown’s, saying that bots, manipulated playlists and different factors tin beryllium utilized to marque songs look much fashionable than they are. The group’s CEO, Michael Lewan, says this benignant of artificial streaming tin hap with some AI-generated and human-made music.  

All that said, Monet’s five-song catalog has generated much than $52,000 and astir 17 cardinal full on-demand authoritative U.S. streams — a fig that astir doubled from past week — according to Billboard estimates based connected Luminate data. The catalog had racked up 12,500 medium depletion units arsenic of the week ending Sept. 18. 

Monet’s astir fashionable track, “How Was I Supposed to Know?,” which has ranked successful the apical 10 connected Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales for 2 weeks successful a enactment and deed No. 22 past week connected the Digital Song Sales illustration overall, has accumulated 22,700 opus equivalents successful the U.S. and much than 3 cardinal on-demand audio and video streams.  

If each royalties were paid retired for this track, Billboard estimates it would full astir $21,800 successful maestro signaling and publishing rights.  

Monet’s adjacent astir fashionable track, “I Ask For So Little,” which has 1.56 cardinal full on-demand U.S. streams, has truthful acold generated astir $10,000 successful gross from maestro and publishing rights. The way “This Ain’t No Tryout,” which has 1.2 cardinal on-demand streams, has generated $8,360. “The Strong Don’t Get a Break” has generated an estimated $6,500, and “Let God, Let Go” has generated astir $5,500, arsenic of Sept. 18, according to Billboard estimates.

More than a decennary since streaming became the ascendant mode of euphony consumption, stakeholders are actively exploring changes to royalty payout mo...