Suno last week said that it would impose download limits on users of its AI music generator as it seeks to legitimize its presence in the music industry. Now it has specifics.
Starting Sept. 3 for all songs in a user’s library, free Suno users will be limited to seven total downloads, while those on its $8-a-month Pro plan — which gives users the right to license their tracks for commercial use — will be limited to 20 downloads a month. For Suno users shelling out $24 a month for the company’s “Premier” tier, which provides access to its “Studio” production suite of generation tools, users will be given 60 downloads a month. Users eager to download more songs beyond their limits can purchase them, though no limits apply to users of Suno Studio. It is unclear how the limits will impact downloads for Suno’s upcoming vinyl program, which the company expects to unveil in the coming months.
Suno said in a blog post Monday that the downloads are part of an effort to “make it harder for bad actors to mass-export music.” Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming services have been open about their efforts to combat the proliferation of AI-generated music flooding their libraries, including those improperly uploaded to human artists’ pages and those trying to game the services’ systems.
“We are introducing download limits to ensure our platform is used for intentional music creation, while still allowing everyone to create, remix, listen, and share on Suno,” Suno said on Monday.
The limits, which will apply to all songs in a user’s library, stemmed from the company’s settlement with Warner Music Group last year in the label’s copyright infringement lawsuit against the company. Udio last year disabled downloads completely as part of its own copyright infringement settlement with Universal Music Group.
Both Udio and Suno are working on respective models backed by their label partners, and Suno said on Monday that its new label-backed models “generate outputs faster, deliver higher fidelity audio, and give you more control over your music than ever before.”
The limits were first teased last week in a blog post by CEO Mikey Shulman, who also said the company would begin watermarking songs downloaded from the platform to help signify the use of AI. The company is still being sued by UMG and Sony Music for copyright infringement, and a German court found last month that the company was violating U.S. and German copyright laws.
