Warner Music Group (WMG) will launch an artificial intelligence (AI) music venture with technology start-up Suno – a year after it sued the firm in a landmark case.
As part of the agreement between the two companies, Warner will let users create AI-generated music on Suno using the voices, names and likenesses of artists featured in the program.
The record label, which represents artists like Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, was one of several music giants like Sony Music to sue Listen and a similar platform called Udio.
AI-generated content has been controversial, with many artists expressing concerns that it could undercut human songwriters.
Starting next year, Listen will introduce new advanced and licensed models on its generative-AI music platform, which allows users to create music based on simple descriptions, Warner said in a statement.
The Massachusetts-based company has nearly 100 million users and was launched two years ago.
The 2026 model of Listen will replace its current version, Warner said, and users will have to pay for audio downloads. Songs can still be played and shared on the free tier of the service.
Warner said the “first-of-its-kind” partnership will open “new frontiers” in music production while ensuring compensation to the creative community.
“Artists and songwriters will have complete control over how their names, images, likenesses, voices and compositions are used in new AI-generated music,” Warner said. It did not specify which artists had opted to participate in the program.
“The deal also settles previous litigation between the companies,” it added.
Listen and another AI company that offers a similar platform called Udio were sued by music giants Warner, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The lawsuit was announced in 2024 by the Recording Industry Association of America, which the BBC contacted for comment.
The label accused Udio and Suno of profiting by copying existing songs, claiming the platforms produced tracks that were indistinguishable from the original artists’ work.
The companies described the use of AI as “wholesale piracy” and part of a trend that put the music ecosystem at risk.
The legal battle comes just months after nearly 200 artists, including Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj, signed a letter calling for the “predatory” use of AI in the music industry.
Proponents of generic AI tasks have compared machine learning by computers to the way humans learn by reading, listening, and watching past tasks.
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