Warner Music signs deal with AI-powered music startup Suno, settles lawsuit

Warner Music Group (WMG) Announce On Tuesday an agreement was reached with sun, Copyright lawsuit against AI-powered music startup settled. The deal with Suno “will break new ground in music creation, engagement and discovery, while compensating and protecting artists, songwriters and the broader creative community,” WMG said in a press release.

WMG also announced that it had sold Song Cakea live music and concert discovery platform, has been sold to Suno for an undisclosed sum. WMG had acquired Songkick and the brand were implemented in 2017, while Live Nation was later implemented acquired Songkick’s ticket business.

WMG says Songkick will continue as a fan destination under Suno’s leadership.

As a result of the WMG partnership, Suno will launch more advanced, licensed models that will replace its current models next year. Downloading audio from the service will require a paid account, while in the free tier users will be limited to playing and sharing existing songs on the platform.

WMG artists and songwriters will also have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices and tracks are used in new AI-generated music.

Artists signed to WMG include Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter, and more.

“This historic agreement with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone,” WMG CEO Robert Kinkel said in the press release. “As Suno expands rapidly, both in terms of users and monetization, we embrace this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences.”

The news comes after a week WMG has settled a copyright lawsuit with AI-powered music startup Udio It has entered into a licensing deal for an AI music creation service that is scheduled to launch in 2026.

WMG’s settlements with Suno and Udio represent a major shift in the music industry’s approach to artificial intelligence. Last year, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment sued Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. While WMG settled its lawsuits with Suno and Udio, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment did They are reportedly in talks to license their work to Udio and Suno and settle their lawsuits against the startups.

Referring to investors’ confidence in AI-powered music technology, Sono said Announce Last week he raised a $250 million Series C round At a post-cash valuation of $2.45 billion. The round was led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Nvidia’s investment arm, NVitures, as well as Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.