Two events that happened almost simultaneously in early April are far more interesting when viewed together than separately.
One: ElevenLabs launched ElevenMusic, an AI music generation iOS app, on April 1. The other: a week later, a petition signed by 400 people appeared at Berklee College of Music, demanding the school stop promoting AI generation tools and cancel an AI composition elective course.
These two events are two sides of the same battle.
ElevenLabs crosses over
ElevenLabs has been around for three years, starting with voice cloning and TTS. In February, it completed a $500 million funding round, valuing the company at $11 billion. Then it did something that seemed like a leap to outsiders: building a music generation app.
ElevenMusic's logic is straightforward: you type a prompt, and it generates a song. Style, length, and lyric density are adjustable. It also includes discovery and remixing features, supports browsing other users' creations, and offers preset mood modes such as Focus, Energy, Relax, Late Night, Cosmic, and Chill.
- Free tier: 7 songs per day, sufficient for casual users
- Pro tier: $9.99/month, 500 songs/month, 500GB+ storage
Its competitors are Suno and Udio. Suno reportedly had an annualized revenue exceeding $300 million last quarter and is already widely adopted among content creators. ElevenLabs entering the space signals it believes the market is large enough for three players.
The decision to launch first as an iOS app suggests the target audience is not professional musicians but content creators, podcasters, and short-video bloggers who need quick background music. This is Suno's core user base, and ElevenLabs is going directly after it.
ElevenLabs' expansion into music is not surprising in itself. Voice AI and music generation share considerable technical foundations—both involve audio modeling, emotional expression, and style control. A company that does voice moving into music is a natural extension, not a random pivot.
Berklee students say: enough
Berklee College of Music is one of the world's top contemporary music schools, producing numerous composers, producers, and film scorers. In April, over 400 students and staff signed a petition demanding the school stop promoting AI generation tools in its curriculum and cancel an AI composition elective.
The course is taught by associate professor Ben Camp, who has close ties with Cambridge-based AI music company Suno. One of the triggers was a social media post in which Camp wrote:
"Suno is better at music than 80% of my students, but my best students still blow it away."
The post was later deleted.
Student reactions were direct. First-year student Keira Mann said: "We're here to tell our own stories, not to operate someone else's version of them." Film-scoring student Michael Hoffman added: "AI is just digesting old stuff. It will never truly create something that pushes boundaries."
There are also more practical concerns. Professor Evan Williams said he worries Hollywood will use AI music to replace paid composer budgets—and that this is not hypothetical, as low-budget streaming productions are already doing it.
The school's response was measured: it said it has "a responsibility to prepare students for technological change." In the context of the controversy, that response essentially said nothing.
Both events speak to the same issue
ElevenLabs built a music app because AI music tools are getting better, consumption scenarios are expanding, and there is a market.
Berklee students are protesting because they see the logical endpoint: if AI can generate good enough music, how many people working in music will face direct competition?
| ElevenMusic user perspective | Music student perspective | |
|---|---|---|
| AI music means | Low-cost, fast background music production | Shrinking job market |
| Entry barrier | Lowered, accessible to everyone | Lowered, professional value diluted |
| Tool positioning | Productivity tool | Potential competitor |
This tension is real, not an emotional reaction.
Notably, this pattern is almost inevitable in AI and creative fields. It happened with illustrators, photographers, and video editors. Now it's music. Next could be film scripts, game art, or some other specific skill.
Protests will not stop ElevenMusic from being available, nor will they stop Suno from iterating. But 400 signatures show one thing: the music industry has begun to take this seriously, no longer watching from a distance.
As for what Berklee ultimately decides, it may not matter. The market, not the curriculum, will determine the outcome.
Sources: CocoLoop, ElevenLabs releases a new AI-powered music-generation app (TechCrunch); At Berklee, aspiring composers worry AI threatens their future (WBUR News)