Jason Isbell Leads New Suno Lawsuit, Claims AI Music Generator ‘Exploits’ Musicians’ Identities in Models

Notable musicians Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth, and Eduardo Calle have joined forces in a class action lawsuit against AI music-creating software Suno. The 84-page lawsuit, filed in a Massachusetts federal court, accuses Suno of using musicians' identities without consent to generate music that imitates their styles. The complaint alleges that Suno violates personal publicity rights laws and treats a musician's identity as a commercial property, taking it without permission.

The lawsuit provides examples of Suno generating songs and images that mimic musicians' styles when their names are entered as prompts. It also highlights Suno's attempts to bypass filters meant to prevent this type of output. The musicians request the court to certify the lawsuit as a class action, seeking compensation for publicity rights violations, profits earned from non-consensual use of their identities, and attorney fees.

They seek a jury trial to address the broader controversy surrounding AI in music, as other industry figures express differing views on the use of artificial intelligence in creating music.