Warner Music Group on Wednesday mentioned it reached an settlement with synthetic intelligence startup Udio, ending a authorized battle over considerations that copyrighted music was getting used to coach AI fashions.
Underneath an settlement, Udio will launch a platform subsequent yr utilizing AI fashions skilled on licensed and licensed music, the New York-based corporations mentioned. The music might embrace content material from WMG’s publishing companies, offering new income for artists and songwriters who select to decide in, the businesses added.
Udio declined to say which artists could be concerned in its new platform, and WMG didn’t return a request for remark. WMG’s artist roster contains Ed Sheeran, Fleetwood Mac and Madonna.
The startup’s present platform permits customers to put in writing textual content prompts and create songs utilizing AI. The brand new model, which is anticipated to launch subsequent yr, will let customers create remixes, covers and new songs with the voices of artists and the compositions of songwriters who select take part and people artists and writers shall be credited and paid, the businesses mentioned.
“This collaboration aligns with our broader efforts to responsibly unlock AI’s potential — fueling new artistic and industrial potentialities whereas persevering with to ship modern experiences for followers,” mentioned Robert Kyncl, WMG CEO, in a press release.
WMG, Common Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Leisure and different music companies sued Udio final yr. Within the lawsuit, Udio was accused of utilizing hits just like the Temptations’ “My Lady” to create the same melody known as “Sunshine Melody.” UMG owns the copyright to “My Lady.”
Udio mentioned tens of millions of individuals have used Udio because it launched in 2024, however didn’t get away particularly what number of downloads or web site customers it has.
UMG settled with Udio final month. Udio declined to reveal the phrases of the UMG settlement. The tech firm additionally didn’t provide monetary particulars about its platform collaboration with WMG, or which artists could be concerned.
“Collaborating with WMG marks a big milestone in our mission to redefine how AI and the music trade evolve collectively,” mentioned Andrew Sanchez, co-founder and CEO of Udio, in a press release. “This partnership is a vital step in the direction of realizing a future during which know-how amplifies creativity and unlocks new alternatives for artists and songwriters.”
The development of synthetic intelligence within the arts has prompted a variety of feelings within the leisure trade — from worry of job alternative to pleasure over new methods to check daring concepts in music movies and music experimentation on slimmer budgets.
After the UMG-Udio deal was introduced, Jordan Bromley, a board member on the nonprofit Music Artists Coalition and Manatt Leisure Chief, mentioned he was “cautiously optimistic however insistent on particulars.”
Music Artists Coalition govt director Ron Gubitz mentioned the bulletins on the agreements “lack vital particulars songwriters and performers deserve.”
“The query nonetheless stays whether or not these offers will ship crucial issues artists deserve: consent, readability, and compensation,” Gubitz mentioned in a press release.
