Published: 10/16/2026
Source: The Korea Times — Korean startup targets “legal AI music” via copyright tracking
Neutune CEO Lee Jong-pil says the company can identify source recordings and estimate their contributions to generated music, but the larger challenge remains obtaining permission and building a workable licensing system.
Neutune’s Music DNA analyzes new tracks for source material, while its MixAudio platform adds attribution to AI remixes. The company divides music into instrument- and section-based blocks—such as drums, bass, introductions and verses—to measure how individual components contribute to a result.
Technology alone does not create a legal license. Lee proposes opt-in or blanket-licensing systems so rights holders can authorize usage and participate in revenue. Voice and likeness rights remain harder to track than musical source material.
Can attribution make AI music automatically legal? No. Attribution can identify contributors and support payment calculations, but consent and a valid license are still required where protected work is used.
Why it matters: A functioning licensed-AI market needs more than a list of training files. It needs track-level provenance, rules for measuring influence, permission from rights holders and an auditable path from each generation to compensation.