Sonilo brings AI video scoring to 2.5 million fal.ai developers

The launch shifts AI music from speculative text prompts to a functional infrastructure layer that integrates directly into video editing workflows. By solving the dual friction points of technical timing and commercial licensing, Sonilo offers a 'licensed-first' alternative to competitors facing copyright litigation. For the broader ecosystem, this signals a transition toward multimodal AI that interprets visual intent rather than just executing text instructions. Watch for how other stock media giants like Getty Images respond with their own embedded scoring tools, and whether major editing suites move to consolidate these third-party APIs into native features.

The push for ethically sourced training data comes as the AI music sector faces intensifying legal pressure. In June 2024, the RIAA filed landmark lawsuits against Suno and Udio on behalf of major labels including Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music, and Warner Music. While UMG and Warner reached settlements with the platforms in late 2025 – including a licensing template where UMG reportedly secured royalties of $0.002 to $0.005 per generation – Sony Music remains in active litigation as of June 2026. Per Music Business Worldwide, Sony recently moved to expand its complaint to include over 30,000 specific recordings they claim were used for training without permission.

Shutterstock has positioned its 'TRUST' framework as the industry standard for avoiding such liability, establishing a contributor fund that has already compensated millions of artists for data used in model training. This strategy has allowed the company to pivot from a content repository to an AI services provider, recently securing data licensing partnerships with major tech players like OpenAI and Meta per company announcements in late 2025. This approach contrasts sharply with the broader AI music landscape; an investigation by The Atlantic in June 2026 revealed datasets containing 21 million tracks fed into various generative platforms without clear rights provenance.

Market competition is likewise accelerating within native creative ecosystems. In March 2026, Google launched its Lyria 3 Pro model within the Google Vids platform, embedding scoring capabilities directly into its workplace tools via Vertex AI. As specialized models like Sonilo's v1.1 become available through developer hubs like fal.ai, the industry is moving toward a two-tier regime: one consisting of 'walled garden' platforms using major label content, and another comprised of infrastructure-as-a-service providers leveraging stock catalogs to power the independent creator economy.