YouTube is testing a new feature allowing select creators to remix songs using artificial intelligence (AI). Building on its Dream Track toolset, creators can now describe how they’d like to alter a song’s style or genre, and the tool generates a 30-second snippet.
This AI-driven capability maintains the essence of the original song while offering a fresh, customized twist for use in YouTube Shorts. By partnering with Universal Music Group (UMG), YouTube aims to balance creativity and fair compensation for artists. Key Points
New Remix Feature: YouTube’s Dream Track toolset now allows select creators to remix tracks by describing a desired genre or mood shift.
Dream Track Toolset Origins: The toolset uses DeepMind’s Lyria music generation model, launched last November, and initially included features like track creation from humming.
Remix Process: Creators can select the “Restyle a track” option and input their vision, resulting in a 30-second AI-generated snippet for Shorts.
Transparency and Credit: Remixes will have an appropriate label to indicate AI was used, with credits linked to the original song through the Shorts video and the Shorts audio pivot page.
Compensation Measures: YouTube partnered with UMG to ensure fair payment for artists and rights holders whose work is used in AI-generated content.
Market Context: Competitors like Hook, a new app, are also exploring AI-enabled song remixing for short-form video creation.
Key Quotes
“If you want to give a song a different genre or mood, you simply enter your vision into the ‘Restyle a track’ prompt and you’ll soon have a customized soundtrack that reimagines the music while maintaining the essence of the original song’s vocals and lyrics.” – Google
“These restyled soundtracks will have clear attribution to the original song through the Short itself and the Shorts audio pivot page, and will also clearly indicate that the track was restyled with AI. ” – Google
“YouTube is constantly testing new, experimental features. This feature is currently only available to a limited set of creators in the United States. The limited experiment is intended to ensure we are taking the proper steps to learn and build for any future iterations of the product.” – Google
The remixing tool could make it easier for creators to produce engaging, customized soundtracks for short-form videos.
YouTube’s commitment to artist compensation could set a standard for AI applications in the music industry. With apps like Hook entering the scene, the demand for AI-powered music tools is growing.
AI tools like these could transform how music is created and used, making remixing accessible to more people.
