Warner Music Group has signed a licensing deal with Suno, the AI song generator it sued last year for copyright infringement. The agreement settles the litigation and includes Suno acquiring Warner's concert listings platform Songkick. Artists will gain compensation options and control over their copyrights in AI uses.
Warner Music Group (WMG), one of the major music labels, has reached a significant partnership with Suno following a contentious lawsuit. Last year, WMG joined Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sony Music Entertainment in suing Suno and rival AI firm Udio for allegedly training their models on copyrighted music without permission. The suit claimed this practice would flood streaming services with machine-generated content that competes with and devalues human-created works, citing artists like Drake, Bruce Springsteen, and Green Day as examples.
Deal Details
The new licensing agreement resolves WMG's claims against Suno and shifts the company toward a more regulated model. Users will now pay to download AI-generated songs created on Suno's platform, with compensation available to artists and songwriters who opt in. These creators will retain 'full control' over how their music, likeness, and copyrights are used in AI applications. As part of the deal, Suno has acquired Songkick, Warner's former concert listings service, enhancing its ecosystem.
To address concerns about AI music overwhelming legitimate streams, Suno's current, less restricted models will be phased out. The press release outlines plans for 'new, more advanced and licensed models,' though full licensing would require broader industry collaboration. Meanwhile, UMG and Sony's litigation against Suno and Udio continues, while UMG settled its dispute with Udio in October, imposing limits on the platform. Separately, AI music startup Klay secured deals with all three major labels and their publishing arms last week.