ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN now accept AI-assisted music for registration (but fully AI songs still don’t qualify)

Key Highlights:

• ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN now accept partially AI-generated works
• Fully AI-generated music still does not qualify for registration
• Policy follows 2024 U.S. Copyright Office guidance on AI works

Three major North American performing rights organizations announced their new policy on October 28, 2025. The ASCAP press release explains the change. Songwriters now use AI tools more often in their work. The organizations recognized this shift and updated their rules. The Music Business Worldwide report confirms these works will join each society’s full licensed repertoire. ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said the organization wants to welcome partially AI-generated musical works. She believes AI helps members when the law puts humans first. The policy applies to works that combine AI content with human authorship.

The performing rights organizations oppose AI companies that train models on copyrighted works without permission or payment. This position supports ongoing lawsuits against platforms like Suno. The organizations back ethical AI tools that license training data properly. The policy update builds on U.S. Copyright Office guidance from early 2024. That guidance established that AI-assisted works with enough human creativity qualify for copyright protection.