LANDR have just announced the next phase of their Fair Trade AI programme, a pioneering opt-in music-licensing programme aimed at independent artists. The company will be issuing the first payouts from Fair Trade AI to participating artists later this month, in addition to introducing a $1 million advance programme that allows musicians to receive upfront payments while continuing to share in future recurring revenue. The programme is currently available to eligible LANDR Distribution users, and will remain open for opt-ins until 20 July 2026.
Fair Trade AI licenses opted-in music catalogues to AI companies developing next-generation audio technologies including creative tools, voice technologies and other music AI applications. As demand for licensed training data continues to grow, LANDR say they believe that transparent licensing models will become an increasingly important part of the music industry’s future. As part of today’s announcement, qualifying artists may receive recoupable upfront advances against future licensing revenue through an initial $1 million funding programme.
“For independent artists, distribution can no longer end when a song reaches streaming platforms. The future of music distribution is helping creators find new ways to monetise their work, wherever it creates value. Responsibly licensing music for AI is one of those channels, and we've built the infrastructure to support it at scale.” - Daniel Rowland, VP of Strategy & Partnerships at LANDR
LANDR have also announced that artists participating in Fair Trade AI will now receive 25% of net licensing revenue, up from the previous 20%, distributed based on each artist's contribution to the dataset. Participating artists will also earn additional revenue from their music as LANDR enters into new licensing agreements.
