# Google DeepMind launches Lyria 3.5 for AI music generation, raising questions about crypto’s role in creative AI > Source: > Published: 2026-07-29 16:15:20+00:00 Via 9to5google.com # Google DeepMind launches Lyria 3.5 for AI music generation, raising questions about crypto’s role in creative AI The latest generative music model arrives without any blockchain integration, highlighting a growing divide between AI development and crypto-native approaches to creative tools. Google DeepMind just dropped Lyria 3.5 into its Google Flow Music platform, bringing upgrades to musicality, lyrics, vocals, and creative control. Here’s the thing: while crypto-native projects have spent years promising decentralized music platforms and on-chain royalty systems, one of the world’s largest tech companies is quietly building the future of music creation with zero blockchain involvement. That strategic omission says something. ## What Lyria 3.5 actually does The Lyria family of models has evolved quickly. Lyria 3, which launched on February 18, 2026, let users generate 30-second high-fidelity music tracks from text or image prompts through the Gemini app. Users had to be 18 or older to access it. Lyria 3 Pro followed on March 25, 2026, expanding capabilities to full songs up to three minutes long. That version introduced structural coherence, meaning tracks could include proper intros, verses, choruses, and bridges instead of sounding like a random assemblage of musical ideas. The pricing structure tells its own story. API access for a 30-second Lyria 3 clip runs about $0.04. A full three-minute song via Lyria 3 Pro costs roughly $0.08. At those price points, the barrier to entry for AI-generated music is essentially a rounding error. For context, commissioning even basic stock music from a human composer typically costs hundreds of dollars. ## The crypto-shaped hole in generative AI music The absence of any blockchain or cryptocurrency integration in Google’s music AI stack is notable, not because it’s surprising, but because it highlights a widening gap between what crypto projects have promised and what centralized tech companies are actually shipping. Projects across the crypto landscape have long pitched decentralized music platforms as the solution to the music industry’s royalty distribution problems. The pitch typically goes something like this: artists mint tracks as NFTs, smart contracts handle royalty splits automatically, and intermediaries get cut out of the equation. The reality has been less compelling. Most crypto music platforms have struggled with adoption, user experience, and the fundamental chicken-and-egg problem of needing both artists and listeners to show up simultaneously. Meanwhile, Google is shipping generative tools that let anyone create professional-sounding music for pennies. This creates an interesting tension. If AI can generate music at near-zero cost, the value proposition of on-chain royalty systems changes dramatically. Why build complex smart contract infrastructure to split fractions of a cent? ## What this means for the broader AI-crypto intersection At $0.04 to $0.08 per generated track, Google is pricing generative music at a level that undercuts virtually every competitor, centralized or decentralized. Crypto-native AI music projects that charge gas fees on top of generation costs face an uphill battle on pure economics. Google Flow Music positions itself as a musician-focused platform, suggesting DeepMind sees professional and semi-professional creators as the primary market. **Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our [Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).