ASCAP Lab Reveals 2024 ‘AI and the Business of Music Challenge’ Teams

The ASCAP Lab, ASCAP’s innovation program, has announced this year’s cohort for their AI and the Business of Music Challenge. Featuring CRESQA, Music Tomorrow, RoEx, SoundSafe.ai and Wavelets AI, these start-ups will take part in a 12-week course, in partnership with NYC Media Lab, led by the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, to receive mentorship and small grants to develop their ideas.

As part of the initiative, the start-ups will receive hands-on support from the ASCAP Lab, as well as ASCAP’s network of writer and publisher members, to help them optimize their products for the music creator community.

While last year’s cohort of companies focused on AI for music creation and experience, the 2024 AI and the Business of Music Challenge is much more focused on commercial solutions that can help the music industry better manage data and improve workflows.

ASCAP Chief Strategy and Digital Officer Nick Lehman says of the 2024 cohort: “ASCAP’s creator-first, future-forward commitment makes it imperative for us to embrace technology while simultaneously protecting the rights of creators. The dialogue, understanding and relationships that the ASCAP Lab Challenge creates with the music startup community enable us to drive progress for the industry and deliver on this commitment.”

Meet the ASCAP Lab Challenge teams for 2024 below:

CRESQA: An AI social media content assistant designed for songwriters and musicians that automates the process of social media strategy development and helps generate fully personalized post ideas and schedules for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Facebook and more. 

Music Tomorrow: Analytics tools that monitor and boost artists’ algorithmic performance on streaming platforms, using AI for advanced audience insights and automation that improve an artist’s content discoverability, listener engagement and team efficiency. 

RoEx: AI-driven tools for multitrack mixing, mastering, audio cleanup and quality control, designed to streamline and enhance the final steps of the creative process by delivering a professional and balanced mix with ease. 

SoundSafe.ai: Robust, state-of-the-art audio watermarking using AI to enhance security, reporting and the detection of real-time piracy and/or audio deepfakes. 

Wavelets AI: Tools for artists, labels, copyright holders, content distributors and DSPs that help reduce IP infringement by detecting AI vocals in music.