Over a decade ago, LimeWire was shut down by major record labels due to rampant copyright infringement on the platform that turned the music industry on its head, resulting in a sea of lawsuits and fines.

Now, thirteen years later, LimeWire has returned to the music industry. However, this time, instead of file-sharing, LimeWire is concentrating on artificial intelligence. LimeWire has recently launched an AI music generator that enables users to create music tracks with a single click of a button.

LimeWire had a significant impact on the way consumers accessed music. It played a crucial role in paving the way for the streaming model. However, it also led to a significant decrease in the value of music and faced strong criticism from major record labels. These labels sought billions of dollars in damages for the platform's sharing of unlicensed songs.

The only thing the original LimeWire and the new company share is the brand name. Originally, LimeWire faced copyright issues that led to its downfall, but the new AI music-maker only uses licensed music for its training data. Marcus Feistl, the company's chief operating officer, confirmed this, although he didn't specify which licensing partners they have. This new version of LimeWire aims to avoid any legal issues with the music business.

“I think it actually fits the brand perfectly, to be honest. It’s again a very disruptive approach to the music industry,” Feistl says. “But at the same time, compared to the initial LimeWire, we’re taking a bit more of a cautious and careful approach in things like licensing of the content, where we get the training data.”

LimeWire has recently unveiled its new AI music studio. The studio allows users to describe the type of music they want to hear by providing details such as mood or genre. Additionally, users can also upload pictures, such as colours and shapes, which the AI technology leverages to create music tracks that match the image.