Warner Music Settles Copyright Lawsuit with Udio, Paves Way for Licensed AI Music Platform

Warner Music settles copyright lawsuit with Udio, signs deal for AI music platform | TechCrunch

Warner Music Group (WMG) has settled a copyright infringement case with AI music startup Udio, the label announced on Wednesday. The two have also entered into a licensing deal for an AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. In a press release, WMG said that the "next-generation music creation, listening, and discovery platform" will be powered by generative AI models trained on licensed and authorized music. The company says the platform will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." The subscription service will allow users to make remixes, covers, and new songs using the voices of artists and compositions of songwriters who choose to participate. Warner Music Group says the platform will ensure artists and songwriters are credited and compensated. "We're unwaveringly committed to the protection of the rights of our artists and songwriters, and Udio has taken meaningful steps to ensure that the music on its service will be authorized and licensed," said WMG CEO Robert Kyncl in the press release. "This collaboration aligns with our broader efforts to responsibly unlock AI's potential - fueling new creative and commercial possibilities while continuing to deliver innovative experiences for fans." Artists signed to WMG include Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter, and more. "This partnership is a crucial step towards realizing a future in which technology amplifies creativity and unlocks new opportunities for artists and songwriters," said Udio co-founder and CEO Andrew Sanchez, in the press release. "Our new platform will enable experiences where fans can create alongside their favorite artists and make extraordinary music in an environment that offers artists control and connection." The settlement marks a significant shift in the music industry's approach to AI. Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment sued Udio and rival AI music platform Suno last year for copyright infringement. Both platforms allow users to generate songs using AI-powered text prompts. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are also reportedly in talks to license their work to Udio and Suno. In a sign of investor confidence in AI music technology, Suno announced earlier on Wednesday that it has raised a $250 million Series C round at a $2.45 billion post-money valuation. The round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Nvidia's venture arm NVentures, as well as Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.

Warner settles lawsuit and agrees licensing deal with AI music platform

Warner Music has struck a licensing deal with artificial intelligence start-up Udio to power a new streaming platform with its songs, according to people familiar with the matter, as major labels seek to set terms for payment in the AI era. Warner, the world's third-largest music company and home to acts including Charli XCX, Madonna and Ed Sheeran, has settled a lawsuit with Udio as part of the agreement, according to people familiar with the matter. As part of the deal, Udio plans to launch a new subscription service next year, allowing fans to create their own songs using licensed tracks. Warner's artists would need to agree for their music to be included in the service, these people said. An announcement could come as early as Wednesday, said people familiar with the matter. Warner Music, along with rivals Universal and Sony, last year sued Udio, alleging the company was illegally using copyrighted recordings to train its AI models. Universal Music last month struck a deal with Udio to include its catalogue in the upcoming subscription service. Warner also announced a licensing deal with Stability AI, an AI music tools specialist, on Wednesday. The label is close to unveiling more agreements in the coming days, said people familiar with the talks. After the Napster crisis of the early 2000s, music companies are trying to get ahead of disruptive technology this time around. The labels have spent much of this year in negotiations with AI groups to hash out the terms for licensed products to create songs using their music copyrights -- and ensure they are properly compensated. However, many artists remain staunchly opposed to AI-generated music, fearing it could undermine the value of their work. Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and others have released a "silent" album to protest against the UK government's recent changes to copyright law. The album's track listing spells out the message: "The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies." Elliot Grainge, chief executive of Warner's Atlantic Records, told the Financial Times in September: "Labels have a responsibility to negotiate the best deals for their artists -- and they're really good at that. They learned from their mistakes in the past." Warner Music declined to comment and Udio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Warner Music and AI startup Udio settle copyright battle and ink license deal

LONDON (AP) -- Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. It's the second agreement between a major record label and Udio, a chatbot-style song generation tool. The deals underline how AI is shaking up the music industry. AI-generated music has been flooding streaming services amid the rise of song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed in by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams, even though they don't exist in real life. Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, has resolved its copyright infringement litigation against Udio, the two companies said. They've also established "a clear framework" for developing Udio's licensed AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. They provided no financial details on their agreement, which includes Warner's recording and publishing businesses, but it will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." It's similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a huge backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created. Udio said it will remain a "closed-system" as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they'll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs, or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said. Sony Music Entertainment remains the only major record company that hasn't yet signed an AI licensing deal with Udio or Suno, after filing suit against them last year over copyright alongside Universal and Warner. Suno hasn't yet signed a deal with any major label. Also Wednesday, Warner unveiled a deal to work with another artificial intelligence company, Stability AI, on developing "professional-grade tools" for musicians, songwriters and producers.

Warner signs AI music licensing deal with Udio

Warner Music Group (WMG) settled a lawsuit with an AI company in exchange for a piece of the action. The label announced on Wednesday that it had resolved a 2024 lawsuit against AI music creation platform Udio. As part of the deal, Udio gets to license Warner's catalog for an upcoming music creation service. This follows a similar settlement between Universal Music Group and Udio, announced last month. Udio's service will allow subscribers to create, listen to and discover AI-generated music trained on licensed work. You'll be able to generate new songs, remixes and covers using favorite artists' voices or compositions. The boundaries between human creation and an algorithm's approximation of it are about to grow murkier. Not in terms of artistic quality, but it will be based on what proliferates online. WMG is framing the deal as a win for artists, who will -- if they choose to opt in -- gain a new revenue stream. Ahead of the service's launch, Udio will roll out "expanded protections and other measures designed to safeguard the rights of artists and songwriters." So, the settlement does at least appear to reassert some control over artists' work. What the normalization of robot-made music will do for society's collective tastes is another question. The settlement echoes a warning Spotify sounded to musicians and labels last month. "If the music industry doesn't lead in this moment, AI-powered innovation will happen elsewhere, without rights, consent or compensation," the company wrote. Spotify plans to launch "artist-first AI music products" in the future, a vague promise to be sure. However, given Udio's plans, it wouldn't be surprising to see the streaming service cooking up a similar licensed AI music-creation product. "We're unwaveringly committed to the protection of the rights of our artists and songwriters, and Udio has taken meaningful steps to ensure that the music on its service will be authorized and licensed," Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl wrote in a press release. "This collaboration aligns with our broader efforts to responsibly unlock AI's potential - fueling new creative and commercial possibilities while continuing to deliver innovative experiences for fans."

Warner Music Moves From Litigation to Licensing With Udio - Decrypt

The settlement includes Warner's recorded music and publishing divisions, with Udio rolling out artist protections ahead of a 2026 launch. Warner Music Group has resolved its copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music generator Udio, announcing an agreement Wednesday that will convert the latter into a licensed service launching in 2026. The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed last June, when Warner joined Sony Music Entertainment and UMG Recordings in accusing Udio and competitor platform Suno of mass copyright infringement for allegedly training its AI models on copyrighted recordings without permission. Under the settlement, Udio will abandon its current model and develop a subscription platform where users can create remixes, covers, and new songs using voices and compositions from participating artists and songwriters, all with proper licensing, credits, and payment, according to the latest statement. "This partnership is a crucial step towards realizing a future in which technology amplifies creativity and unlocks new opportunities for artists and songwriters," Andrew Sanchez, Udio's co-founder and CEO said in the statement. The agreement spans Warner's recorded music and publishing divisions, creating new revenue streams while ensuring artist protections. Udio will also roll out expanded protections and safeguards for artists and songwriters ahead of the 2026 launch, while maintaining access to its current system during the transition. Artists and songwriters who choose to participate will receive credit and payment when users create content using their work, according to the statement. The lawsuit, filed by the Recording Industry Association of America and a coalition of major labels, accused Udio and Suno of copying "decades worth of the world's most popular sound recordings" to train their models. The lawsuit initially sought $150,000 per infringement incident and injunctions barring future violations. "They have both taken steps to hide the scope of their widescale infringement, which we expect to uncover in the litigations. But we know more than just that the snippets 'sound like' copyrighted recordings," an RIAA spokesperson told Decrypt at the time. The settlement comes as AI music generation faces mounting legal and regulatory pressure. A German court recently ruled against OpenAI for reproducing copyrighted song lyrics, marking the first time a European court found a large language model violated copyright law. The court held that GPT-4 and GPT-4o contained reproducible lyrics from nine songs, constituting unauthorized reproduction under EU and German copyright law.

Warner Music and AI startup Udio settle copyright battle and ink license deal

LONDON -- Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. It's the second agreement between a major record label and Udio, a chatbot-style song generation tool. The deals underline how AI is shaking up the music industry. AI-generated music has been flooding streaming services amid the rise of song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed in by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams, even though they don't exist in real life. Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, has resolved its copyright infringement litigation against Udio, the two companies said. They've also established "a clear framework" for developing Udio's licensed AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. They provided no financial details on their agreement, which includes Warner's recording and publishing businesses, but it will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." It's similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a huge backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created. Udio said it will remain a "closed-system" as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they'll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs, or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said. Sony Music Entertainment remains the only major record company that hasn't yet signed an AI licensing deal with Udio or Suno, after filing suit against them last year over copyright alongside Universal and Warner. Suno hasn't yet signed a deal with any major label. Also Wednesday, Warner unveiled a deal to work with another artificial intelligence company, Stability AI, on developing "professional-grade tools" for musicians, songwriters and producers.

Warner Music and AI startup Udio settle copyright battle and ink license deal

LONDON (AP) -- Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. It's the second agreement between a major record label and Udio, a chatbot-style song generation tool. The deals underline how AI is shaking up the music industry. AI-generated music has been flooding streaming services amid the rise of song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed in by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams, even though they don't exist in real life. Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, has resolved its copyright infringement litigation against Udio, the two companies said. They've also established "a clear framework" for developing Udio's licensed AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. They provided no financial details on their agreement, which includes Warner's recording and publishing businesses, but it will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." It's similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a huge backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created. Udio said it will remain a "closed-system" as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they'll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs, or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said. Sony Music Entertainment remains the only major record company that hasn't yet signed an AI licensing deal with Udio or Suno, after filing suit against them last year over copyright alongside Universal and Warner. Suno hasn't yet signed a deal with any major label. Also Wednesday, Warner unveiled a deal to work with another artificial intelligence company, Stability AI, on developing "professional-grade tools" for musicians, songwriters and producers.

Warner Music and AI Startup Udio Settle Copyright Battle and Ink License Deal

LONDON (AP) -- Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. It's the second agreement between a major record label and Udio, a chatbot-style song generation tool. The deals underline how AI is shaking up the music industry. AI-generated music has been flooding streaming services amid the rise of song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed in by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams, even though they don't exist in real life. Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, has resolved its copyright infringement litigation against Udio, the two companies said. They've also established "a clear framework" for developing Udio's licensed AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. They provided no financial details on their agreement, which includes Warner's recording and publishing businesses, but it will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." It's similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a huge backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created. Udio said it will remain a "closed-system" as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they'll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs, or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said. Sony Music Entertainment remains the only major record company that hasn't yet signed an AI licensing deal with Udio or Suno, after filing suit against them last year over copyright alongside Universal and Warner. Suno hasn't yet signed a deal with any major label. Also Wednesday, Warner unveiled a deal to work with another artificial intelligence company, Stability AI, on developing "professional-grade tools" for musicians, songwriters and producers.

Warner Music and AI startup Udio settle copyright battle and ink license deal

Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. Warner Music Group resolved its copyright battle with Udio and signed a deal to work with the AI music startup on a new song creation service that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. It's the second agreement between a major record label and Udio, a chatbot-style song generation tool. The deals underline how AI is shaking up the music industry. AI-generated music has been flooding streaming services amid the rise of song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed in by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams, even though they don't exist in real life. Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, has resolved its copyright infringement litigation against Udio, the two companies said. They've also established "a clear framework" for developing Udio's licensed AI music creation service that's set to launch in 2026. They provided no financial details on their agreement, which includes Warner's recording and publishing businesses, but it will create "new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected." It's similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a huge backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created. Udio said it will remain a "closed-system" as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they'll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs, or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said. Sony Music Entertainment remains the only major record company that hasn't yet signed an AI licensing deal with Udio or Suno, after filing suit against them last year over copyright alongside Universal and Warner. Suno hasn't yet signed a deal with any major label. Also Wednesday, Warner unveiled a deal to work with another artificial intelligence company, Stability AI, on developing "professional-grade tools" for musicians, songwriters and producers.

Warner Music Group Settles AI Infringement Lawsuit With Udio

AI Music Platform Suno Secures $250 Million in Funding, Reports $2.45 Billion Valuation Warner Music Group is settling its copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music generation platform Udio, the companies announced Wednesday morning, marking Udio's second settlement with the major music companies in less than a month. WMG and Udio didn't disclose financial details of the settlement, though like the settlement agreement Udio entered with Universal Music Group at the end of October, the latest settlement opens the door for a new platform Udio is launching in 2026, with licensed music from the WMG recorded and publishing catalog. Among artists on WMG's roster are Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Cardi B, Dua Lipa and Charli XCX among many others. "We're unwaveringly committed to the protection of the rights of our artists and songwriters, and Udio has taken meaningful steps to ensure that the music on its service will be authorized and licensed," WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. "This collaboration aligns with our broader efforts to responsibly unlock AI's potential - fueling new creative and commercial possibilities while continuing to deliver innovative experiences for fans." With the settlement, Sony Music Group is the lone major record label currently in litigation against Udio. All three of the major labels are still suing prominent AI music platform Suno, which today announced a Menlo Ventures-led $250 million funding round that values the company at $2.45 billion. Udio confirmed the deal would be an opt-in offer for those on the WMG roster. The company said that it would be introducing new safeguards in its upcoming model such as "fingerprinting and filtering" to ensure artists and songwriters are properly credited on AI tracks. Settling with WMG is the latest in Udio's shift as it moves more toward fan engagement, with the company's new coming model promising features like remixes and covers as well as new songs based around participating artists on the labels' rosters. "Collaborating with WMG marks a significant milestone in our mission to redefine how AI and the music industry evolve together," Andrew Sanchez, Co-Founder and CEO of Udio, said in a statement. "This partnership is a crucial step towards realizing a future in which technology amplifies creativity and unlocks new opportunities for artists and songwriters. Our new platform will enable experiences where fans can create alongside their favorite artists and make extraordinary music in an environment that offers artists control and connection. We're absolutely thrilled to be working with WMG in creating this new future." The news comes a day before WMG is set to reveal its Q4 earnings tomorrow. It's not the only AI partnership the company revealed Wednesday, with WMG also announcing a partnership with Stability AI to develop a suite of "ethically trained AI tools" for music creation. On Wednesday, WMG's EVP and chief digital officer Carletta Higginson called the Stability deal "an important step toward developing responsible, artist-friendly AI tools that expand creative possibilities while safeguarding the rights and integrity of music creators."

Warner Music Group, Udio settle copyright case, plan new AI song creation platform

Warner Music Group has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and will jointly launch a new platform for song creation in 2026, the companies said on Wednesday. The new subscription service, which will be powered by AI models trained on licensed and authorized songs, enables new revenue streams for the artistes and songwriters while protecting their work. Universal Music Group has also settled a similar copyright case with Udio last month. The deals come at a time when a surge in AI-generated tracks has triggered some platforms like Deezer to clearly mark AI-generated music due to ethical and copyright concerns. Udio's rival Suno, which raised US$250 million at $2.45 billion valuation, has also been caught in a copyright dispute with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group. Both companies allow users to generate songs using AI-powered text prompts. The record labels had sued Udio and Suno last year, alleging the AI companies copied hundreds of songs from some of the world's most popular musicians to teach their systems to create music that will "directly compete with, cheapen, and ultimately drown out" human artists. Udio and Suno said the use of copyrighted sound recordings to train their systems qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law, and they called the lawsuits attempts to stifle independent competition. Recently, a Deezer and Ipsos survey reveled that a staggering 97 per cent of listeners cannot distinguish between AI-generated and human-composed songs, fanning fears that AI could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized. A May survey by Luminate found the majority of U.S. audiences were indifferent to or accepting of AI use in cinema tasks like visual effects, but skeptical of AI-written scripts or synthetic actors.

Warner Music stock rises after AI partnership with Udio resolves litigation By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG) stock rose 2.5% on Wednesday after the company announced a landmark agreement with Udio that resolves their copyright infringement litigation and establishes a framework for a licensed AI music creation service. The agreement allows Udio to develop a next-generation music creation platform powered by generative AI models trained on licensed and authorized music. The service, set to launch in 2026, will create new revenue streams for artists and songwriters while ensuring their work remains protected. Under the partnership, Udio's subscription service will enable users to make remixes, covers, and new songs using the voices of participating artists and compositions of songwriters. The platform will ensure artists and songwriters are credited and paid for their contributions. "We're unwaveringly committed to the protection of the rights of our artists and songwriters, and Udio has taken meaningful steps to ensure that the music on its service will be authorized and licensed," said Robert Kyncl, CEO of WMG. In a separate announcement, Warner Music also revealed a collaboration with Stability AI to develop professional-grade tools for artists, songwriters, and producers using ethically trained models. This initiative aims to unlock new forms of creative expression while protecting creators' rights. Udio will continue providing access to its current closed system as it transitions to fully-licensed applications in 2026. The company's CEO Andrew Sanchez described the partnership as "a crucial step towards realizing a future in which technology amplifies creativity and unlocks new opportunities for artists and songwriters." This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Warner Music Group Corp. and Udio Collaborate to Build A New Licensed Music Creation Service

Warner Music Group Corp. and Udio announced a landmark agreement that resolves the companies' copyright infringement litigation and establishes a clear framework for the development of Udio's licensed AI music creation service, set to launch in 2026. Through this collaboration, Udio will develop a next-generation music creation, listening, and discovery platform powered by generative AI models trained on licensed and authorized music. The agreement--which spans WMG's recorded music and music publishing businesses--creates new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected. Udio's reimagined subscription service will introduce a suite of creative experiences that enable users to make remixes, covers, and new songs using the voices of artists and compositions of songwriters who choose to participate, while ensuring artists and songwriters are credited and paid. Ahead of the launch, Udio will also be rolling out expanded protections and other measures designed to safeguard the rights of artists and songwriters. This new offering represents a significant evolution for Udio, shifting the company's focus to a platform built in collaboration with artists and songwriters. To support a smooth transition, Udio will continue providing access to its current, closed-system as Udio transitions into serving fully-licensed applications in 2026.