Tech Focus: AI & Production Music -Many Benefits for Broadcast Sports, but Uncertainty ContinuesLegal/copyright issues are major obstacle to AI's widespread on-air and in-venue useBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Artificial intelligence is a divisive technology. For broadcast sports, particularly for music used on-air and in venues, it is both embraced and eyed suspiciously.
For instance, former Turner Sports VP Tom Sahara, SVP, production technology, Quintar, a spatial-experience developer, has cited AI's positives, including assisting audio teams by monitoring multiple audio parameters, such as signal levels and routing. However, he cautions about the technology's propensity for generating digital hallucinations.
Similarly, Karl Malone, senior director, audio engineering, NBC Sports and Olympics, is optimistic about AI's potential in automating routine tasks, such as some types of submixing, but with a caveat: as long as there is someone dedicated to the audio design of the production leading it and not using it as a set and forget,' because the forgetting' part is where we can run into problems.
Music, which plays a huge role in all sports, both on the air and on the field, is where much of the controversy is manifest - from creation to playback. And nowhere is it felt more than at the various companies that generate and/or license thousands of music tracks every year to teams, leagues, broadcasters, and streamers, providing the underscores and themes not only for games but for entire productions.
The Human TouchProduction-music companies - many of the largest count sports entities as major clients - are aware of the legal and social sensitivities around the topic.
As far as we can tell, says Ron Mendelsohn, CEO/executive producer, Megatrax, our clients still prefer music produced by humans rather than music generated by machines, especially when the legal rights and copyrights to that music are so questionable. Several clients have asked us to verify that our music is not AI-generated. It's highly problematic, he adds, that AI-generated music often bases training on copyrighted content.
Another issue is that AI-generated music itself is not entitled to copyright protection. In the U.S., works created entirely by artificial intelligence are not eligible for copyright protection because the U.S. Copyright Act requires human authorship. (Copyright duration is based on the author's lifespan, which courts and the Copyright Office have decided implies a requirement for human authorship.) Purely AI-generated music, therefore, can be refused copyright registration by the Copyright Office. On the other hand, AI-assisted music, for which a human provides significant creative input and control over the output, may be eligible for protection, at least on the copyrightable human-authored portions.
The ProblemCopyright owners have accused the AI sector of using their vast catalogs as uncompensated training grounds for AI music. According to international music-publishing trade association ICMP, some of the world's biggest technology companies - Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, X - have scraped copyright-protected music to train generative-AI systems. According to extensive evidence the association provided to Billboard, that has included songs by the Beatles, Mariah Carey, The Weeknd, Beyonc , Ed Sheeran, and Bob Dylan.
ICMP describes such unlicensed use of digital music as taking place on a global and highly extensive scale. It further asserts that the scope of the training is larger than previously acknowledged.
The problem is widespread across all media. It's also costly: artificial-intelligence company Anthropic has reportedly agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a copyright-infringement lawsuit over its use of pirated books to train large-language models (LLMs).
APM's Matthew Gutknecht: We will use [AI] to help people save time finding our music, but we will not be using it to create derivative works from existing copyrights.
APM Music - which represents catalogs for industry giants Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group and works with the MLB, NHL, and other sports entities - is understandably cautious on the topic. According to Matthew Gutknecht, VP, sports entertainment, APM, none of the content in the APM catalog is used for AI training.
(Both Sony Music and Universal Music Group, along with Warner Records, are suing AI-music generators Suno and Udio for copyright infringement, alleging that they used vast amounts of copyrighted music without authorization to train their AI models, which can then create similar works. Many in the industry would like to see a workable AI-licensing model emerge, but, as a recent article in Billboard points out, What would that even look like? given the legal complexity of the issue.)
We will use [AI] for audio identification to help people save time finding our music, Gutknecht emphasizes, but we will not be using it to create any kind of derivative works from existing copyrights.
The Bright Side
Stephen Arnold Music's Whitney Arnold: It can be a positive creative tool. We're firmly in the AI as a tool' camp at the moment.
Others, however, see potential benefits for AI-generated production music. Whitney Arnold, president, music services, Stephen Arnold Music, says it is definitely on our radar. We've found practical applications for AI-generated music as an ideation tool. He notes that a client recently sent the company AI-generated vocal treatments to aurally illustrate various moods and styles that the client might wish to pursue.
He concedes that, although AI-generated content can hit the right musical notes, it consistently falls short on
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
24/08/2026
Human-played drum fills on demand
Sample library developers Yurt Rock have announced the launch of a new plug-in that's dedicated to creating drum fill...
24/08/2026
Debut plug-in in new Professional Series
Black Rooster Audio's latest plug-in delivers an all-in-one vocal-processing tool, and is the debut release in ...
24/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz addresses operational efficiency and infrastructure resilience a...
24/08/2026
The Handel Scandal and Dangerous Debussy will both air on Sky Arts this AutumnMo...
24/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, w...
24/08/2026
Arvato Systems Becomes a Service Partner of HANDELSVERBAND.swiss
Zurich - Arvato Systems Switzerland has been a service partner of HANDELSVERBAND.swiss since ...
24/08/2026
We Only Want the Earth: The Life & Ideas of James Connolly airs
Wednesday 26 August on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
RT is to air the compelling documenta...
23/08/2026
Offers up to 10 bands of compression
Parish Audio's latest release allows users to place individual compressors anywhere in the frequency range, but tak...
21/08/2026
Hardware-style timing shifts for software instruments
Following on from the release of Omniclock, Rapid Flow have launched a new sequencer plug-in that can ...
21/08/2026
Highly anticipated synthesizer ships in October 2026
Iceland-based Love Synthesizers have announced that their highly anticipated synthesizer is now availab...
21/08/2026
Masterpiece PBS The Forsytes has expanded its cast as its begins production in ...
21/08/2026
The BBC has unveiled first-look pictures from The Witch Farm, a new ghost story and mystery set in the Welsh countryside, coming soon to BBC iPlayer and BBC One...
21/08/2026
The BBC and BritBox have revealed the first look of Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot in the forthcoming six-part series Hercule from Mammoth Screen and Agatha C...
21/08/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
21/08/2026
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Takes Over Anime NYC with BLEACH, BLACK TORCH, M...
21/08/2026
Tell us a little bit about your job I'm a Marketing Manager and work across a mix of clients and projects. No two days are ever quite the same, which defini...
21/08/2026
Beat The Lotto dives into the plot behind the 1980s National Lottery scandal
24 August 2026 at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Beat The Lotto is the story o...
21/08/2026
The countdown to the most wonderful night of the year has officially begun!
Host Patrick Kielty is gearing up for another unforgettable Late Late Toy Show nig...
21/08/2026
Meet puppet duo Bellie and Whizz, who are about to explore all the big feelings ...
20/08/2026
Set up your own private remote collaboration infrastructure
SoundBridge have recently put together a tutorial video that provides users with a step-by-step ...
20/08/2026
New V-Control Pro features restore basic functionality
Neyrinck's V-Control software has long been keeping older Avid control surfaces compatible with n...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
Thursday 20 August 2026
Nina Sosanya, Rizzle Kicks, Roman Kemp and Paul Whiteho...
20/08/2026
Wuppertal August 20, 2026
Transformation Church Elevates Production Communicat...
20/08/2026
The music between the notes Coming together In the middle of 2026, as conversations around artificial intelligence continue to raise questions about how musi...
20/08/2026
Arvato Systems Brings Together Digital Transformation Leaders in the Manufacturi...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head back into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support for their ...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...
18/08/2026
Stunning Irish performances at European Athletics and Swimming Championships rea...
18/08/2026
The two-part series begins Sunday 23 August at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
...
17/08/2026
New MIDI processor & macro controller revealed
SHIK have announced that they have opened pre-orders for the S32, a standalone MIDI processor and macro contr...
17/08/2026
Cover extended on innovative motorised pot system
Melbourne Instruments have just revealed that the innovative motorised pot system used in their synths and...
17/08/2026
Latest firmware version now available
1010music have just released a free firmware update that brings some nice new features to their renowned Bluebox digit...
17/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases integrated defense and test solutions at DALO Industry...
17/08/2026
Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine joins NEP Platform, the industry's largest ecosystem of trusted production software, bringing scalable...
Tech Focus: AI & Production Music -Many Benefits for Broadcast Sports, but Uncertainty ContinuesLegal/copyright issues are major obstacle to AI's widespread on-air and in-venue useBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
