Musical AI, the rights management startup formerly known as Somms.ai, has raised $4.5 million in a funding round led by Heavybit, with participation from BDC and Build Ventures, to expand its attribution and licensing technology for generative AI. The company launched its platform in 2024 to address the absence of reliable systems for identifying, attributing, and compensating copyrighted works used in AI training and content generation.
Founded to bring transparency to AI model development, Musical AI’s technology traces how specific training data influences generated outputs and calculates the contribution of individual sources. The platform enables rightsholders to monitor and control use of their works, while allowing AI companies to access licensed data and compensate creators on an ongoing basis.
Led by CEO and co-founder Sean Power, Musical AI plans to use the new capital to grow its team, refine its attribution engine, and deepen partnerships across the music industry before expanding into other creative sectors. The company is certified by Fairly Trained and has partnered with organizations including Pro Sound Effects, SourceAudio, Symphonic Distribution, and Beatoven.ai, positioning itself as core infrastructure for licensed, creator-compensating AI.
