Warner Music Group and AI music generator Suno have struck what they name a “first-of-its-kind partnership”.
They declare the deal will “open new frontiers in music creation, interplay, and discovery, whereas each compensating and defending artists, songwriters, and the broader artistic group”.
The deal additionally settles earlier litigation between the businesses.
The deal, in keeping with a press launch, “brings collectively Suno’s best-in-class AI capabilities with WMG’s artist improvement management and experience on the intersection of music and know-how”.
Artists and songwriters, in keeping with the businesses, “can have full management over whether or not and the way their names, photographs, likenesses, voices, and compositions are utilized in new AI-generated music”.
In 2026, in keeping with the press launch, Suno will make “a number of adjustments to the platform, together with launching new, extra superior and licensed fashions”.
The discharge added: “When the brand new fashions launch in 2026, the present fashions shall be deprecated. Transferring ahead, downloading audio would require a paid account”.
Suno additionally says that it’s going to introduce obtain restrictions in sure situations: “particularly, sooner or later, songs made on the free tier is not going to be downloadable and can as a substitute be playable and shareable”.
Paid tier customers can have restricted month-to-month obtain caps with the power to pay for extra downloads, in keeping with the corporate.
Suno has additionally acquired Songkick, the stay music, concert-discovery platform, from Warner Music Group, and can proceed to run it as “a profitable fan vacation spot”.
The press launch continued that “the mix of Suno and Songkick will create new potential to deepen the artist-fan connection”.
WMG and Suno say they’re “dedicated to forging a blueprint for a next-generation licensed AI music platform”.
Robert Kyncl, CEO, WMG stated: “This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the artistic group that advantages everybody.
“With Suno quickly scaling, each in customers and monetization, we’ve seized this chance to form fashions that broaden income and ship new fan experiences.”
“This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the artistic group that advantages everybody.”
Robert Kyncl, WMG
Added Kyncl: “AI turns into pro-artist when it adheres to our rules: committing to licensed fashions, reflecting the worth of music on and off platform, and offering artists and songwriters with an opt-in for using their identify, picture, likeness, voice and compositions in new AI songs.”
“Our partnership with Warner Music unlocks an even bigger, richer Suno expertise for music lovers, and accelerates our mission to alter the place of music on the planet by making it extra beneficial to billions of individuals.”
Mikey Shulman, Suno
Mikey Shulman, CEO, Suno stated: “Our partnership with Warner Music unlocks an even bigger, richer Suno expertise for music lovers, and accelerates our mission to alter the place of music on the planet by making it extra beneficial to billions of individuals.
“Collectively, we are able to improve how music is made, consumed, skilled and shared. This implies we’ll be rolling out new, extra strong options for creation, alternatives to collaborate and work together with among the most gifted musicians on the planet, all whereas persevering with to construct the most important music ecosystem doable.”
The spherical was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures (NVIDIA’s enterprise capital arm), Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.
WMG additionally settled its lawsuit with Udio final week and struck a licensing cope with the corporate for ‘next-generation’ AI music platform coming in 2026.
The Udio information arrived simply an hour after WMG introduced a brand new partnership with Stability AI on Wednesday (November 19), which the businesses stated will “advance using accountable AI in music creation”.
The settlements and licensing offers come simply over a yr after the RIAA, on behalf of all three main file firms, sued Udio and rival AI platform Suno for “mass infringement” of copyright.
