Sean Parker steers Stability AI toward music tools
The company is now positioning its AI around music professionals after new funding and label licensing deals.
Sean Parker, best known for co-founding Napster, has helped refocus Stability AI from image generation to building AI tools for music professionals after joining an $80 million rescue of the company two years ago. Under CEO Prem Akkaraju, Stability AI recently raised $76 million from Sony, Warner, Universal and others, with the music labels also licensing their catalogs for model training as part of the funding deal. The company has launched three audio models and AI music-editing software that can create full instrumental tracks or short clips from text prompts. Parker says a forthcoming release will add the ability for users to guide generation by humming a tune or beatboxing a rhythm, aiming to make the tools more intuitive for musicians and producers.
Why it matters
Stability AI is no longer trying to compete mainly as an image company. The shift puts music professionals at the center, with tools meant to generate and edit audio and an update planned to make input less dependent on text prompts. The backing from major labels also shows the business now depends on licensed training material as it tries to become a main AI tools provider for the sector.
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Sources
- TechCrunch