BMG strikes pact with TUM’s Gen-AI lab to target fans with gen-ai visuals

31 January 2024 - Press release

 

BMG is pleased to announce it has struck a strategic partnership with the TUM School of Management, part of Munich’s world-renowned Technical University, to fast-track the deployment of artificial intelligence in the company.

The first priority of the alliance is to focus on harnessing AI to creatively manage the increasingly complex variety of digital assets required for global music marketing campaigns, which can number up to 700 for a single project from artwork for streaming services to social media content, banners, and advertising materials.

The first project will be led by Professor Dr Jochen Hartmann – founder of TUM School of Management’sGenAI Lab – and BMG’s marketing and corporate development teams. Professor Dr Hartmann, an expert whose work focuses on the junction of digital marketing and machine learning, is a global pioneer in appliedGenAI research. His papers, including a study into political bias in ChatGPT which made global headlines in summer 2023, have significantly contributed to the field. Complementing this partnership, BMG is sponsoring a two-year PhD position at TUM’s Professorship of Digital Marketing, fostering academic excellence and innovative research.

BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld said, “GenAI’s impact on the music industry will be transformational, where human artistry is at the heart of it.  We are delighted to be partnering with a thought leader in the field of digital marketing, Professor Dr Hartmann. Together we believe we will continue to move the dial on the deployment of AI technologies in the music business to reach wider fan audiences more effectively.”

Professor Dr Hartmann said, “The core objective of this first phase of our work will be to demonstrate how generative AI can improve the creative efficiency and effectiveness of multi-modal marketing content. I am delighted to be working with BMG in this groundbreakingarea.”

SVP Corporate Development at BMG, Johannes von Schwarzkopf, highlighted the project's potential: “The integration of AI into music marketing is about more than efficiency; it's about reimagining the creative process. AI offers us an unprecedented opportunity to change the way we market and experience music globally.”

Professor Dr Gunther Friedl, Dean of the TUM School of Management, said, “The corporate partnership with BMG reflects our commitment to fostering a dynamic exchange between the corporate world and our academic community. By collaborating with renowned institutions and industry leaders such as BMG, we remain at the forefront of innovation.”

The new initiative builds on BMG’s commitment to the deployment of AI. In 2021 the company released an AI-completed version of Beethoven’s unfinished 10th symphony, and AI technologies are already used in both synch and royalty functions.