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Business News Digital
TikTok owner Bytedance unveils Ripple app that turns humming into tracks
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 3 July 2023
TikTok owner Bytedance last week unveiled a new music-making app called Ripple which aims to help people compose and produce music.
Currently available as part of an invite-only beta test in the US, Ripple is potentially a rival to the existing apps and platforms that help with the creation of music. Though it is obviously also seen as a tool that could make it quicker and easier for TikTok creators to make their own soundtracks for their videos.
Of particular note is the functionality that allows users to create songs by simply humming a melody. The user is prompted to hum into their phone’s mic and then the app creates instrumentals in differing genres. Currently, the length of the output matches the input and it doesn’t do vocals, but it seems likely that such things could be added later if the app proves to be successful.
Of course, with such music-making abilities, the music industry will inevitably shout out the line that is now standard whenever a new app or platforms comes along which can help with the composition and production of music. And that question is as follows: “What data set did you use to train that fucker?”
Because, after all, the music industry is adamant that when any generative AI tool – or similar technology – is trained by crunching data connected to existing songs and recordings, a licence must be sought from whoever controls the copyright in that existing music. Ripple, we are told, has been trained on a combination of licensed music and music that Bytedance actually owns. So, that’s alright then.
