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Warner Music has signed a licensing deal with the artificial intelligence song generator Suno after settling a copyright infringement lawsuit it launched against the service a year ago<\/p>\n
Warner, the world\u2019s third-largest music company and home to acts including Coldplay, Charli XCX and Ed Sheeran, is the first of the major record labels to partner officially with the company.<\/p>\n
As part of their agreement, users will be allowed to create AI-generated songs on Suno via simple text prompts using the voices, names and likenesses of the Warner acts who choose to opt in to the service.<\/p>\n
Robert Kyncl, the chief executive of Warner Music Group, said the deal showed that artificial intelligence could be \u201cpro-artist\u201d when it is licensed to \u201creflect the value of music\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cWith Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetisation, we\u2019ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of the agreement Suno, heralded as the ChatGPT for music<\/a>, has committed to making changes to its platform to launch new, more advanced and licensed models next year, including putting new limitations on downloads for users.<\/p>\n Suno said that only paid-tier subscribers would be able to download its AI music creations, and paid users would also have to pay more for downloads and have a cap on how many they could make.<\/p>\n The agreement to introduce the new models, which would lead to the existing versions being phased out, seeks to stem the thousands of AI tracks made on Suno that subsequently flood streaming services.<\/p>\n The deal comes just over a week after Warner Music settled a lawsuit and struck a partnership agreement with the rival AI song generation service Udio.<\/p>\n Last year, the world\u2019s biggest record companies sued Suno and Udio for copyright infringement, alleging that their software steals music to \u201cspit out\u201d millions of AI-generated songs<\/a> without permission from artists.<\/p>\n Universal Music, the world\u2019s biggest music company, was the first to announce a settlement with either company when it reached a deal with Udio last month. Universal remains in litigation with Suno while Sony Music is suing both Suno and Udio.<\/p>\n