3 Key Takeaways:
- Pro Sound Effects has partnered with Musical AI to create one of the first sound effects training systems for AI that’s based on consent.
- This team-up makes sure creators get paid fairly for their work while helping AI learn from better quality sound data.
- Their collaboration sets a new standard for ethical AI development that respects who owns the creative content.
Pro Sound Effects has teamed up with Musical AI specifically to create a transparent system for sound effects, where creators have a say in how their work is used for AI training.
Setting New Standards for AI Training Data
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Brooklyn-based Pro Sound Effects, founded in 2004, has become the entertainment industry’s premier source for high-quality sound effects. The company serves major productions in television, film, and gaming, including blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Dune, The Batman, and popular platforms such as Roblox.
With a catalog of over 1.2 million professionally recorded sounds, PSE’s libraries have become essential tools for creators worldwide, with their sounds featuring in approximately 34% of all media content we consume.
“AI would not exist without human creativity, so creators must be elevated and compensated accordingly,” says Douglas Price, Founder and CEO of Pro Sound Effects. “
This partnership with Musical AI is about setting the bar for what must be standard – a model where sound effects are valued as essential creative tools, fairly licensed, and set up to fuel the future of AI audio innovation.
Read more: Beatoven + Musical AI to launch first fully-licensed AI song generator that pays artists in 2025
How the Partnership Works
Under this agreement, Musical AI will enable PSE to offer select sounds for AI training purposes while maintaining full control over licensing and usage. These licensed sounds will be incorporated into datasets that AI companies like Beatoven are already using to train their models on Musical AI’s secure platform.
What sets this partnership apart is Musical AI’s attribution technology, which traces the usage of licensed sounds in AI-generated outputs, ensuring fair compensation and legal compliance for rightsholders.
The Bigger Picture: Ethical AI Development
This collaboration comes at a crucial time when the AI industry faces increasing scrutiny over training data practices.
According to a recent study by Goldmedia, the market for AI music solutions is expected to increase more than tenfold by 2028, with an average annual growth rate of around 60%.
“PSE’s catalog, with its sonic diversity and excellent metadata, is widely known as the go-to sound effects company in the business, making it a huge win for AI companies looking for good training data,” explains Musical AI CEO Sean Power. “By working together, we’re opening more doors for participation in generative AI while respecting and growing the value of the library PSE has built.“
This partnership joins a growing movement toward ethical AI training practices, with organizations like Fairly Trained offering certifications for AI models that respect creators’ rights.
