Warner Music Group Strikes Deal With AI Music Startup Suno
Warner Music Group is teaming up with the AI music generator Suno just a year after suing the startup in a deal that could reshape how artists and AI platforms work together.
The agreement ends Warner’s copyright battle with Suno and lets the company roll out licensed AI models starting next year. It also allows users to create songs on Suno using the voices, names and likenesses of Warner artists who choose to opt in. Warner didn’t say which acts are participating yet, but the label represents stars like Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran.
The partnership follows months of tension between major record labels and AI-music platforms. Warner, Sony and Universal had accused Suno and its rival Udio of copying existing songs to train their systems — a practice they said amounted to “wholesale theft” and could “directly compete with, cheapen, and ultimately drown out” human musicians. Suno and Udio pushed back, arguing that using copyrighted recordings for training counts as fair use.
Now, Warner says this new arrangement signals a different approach. The company calls it a “first-of-its-kind partnership” that opens creative opportunities while ensuring artists get paid. “Artists and songwriters will have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices and compositions are used,” Warner said. CEO Robert Kyncl described the deal as a win for creatives, saying AI can be “pro-artist” when it respects the value of their work.
For Suno, the agreement marks a major shift too. The startup — which has roughly 100 million users — will phase out its older model in 2026 and introduce licensed versions. It’s also adding new download rules: users on the free tier won’t be able to download tracks, while paying customers will face monthly limits and can buy extra downloads. Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the company plans to roll out “new, more robust features for creation” and chances for users to collaborate with well-known musicians.
The move comes shortly after Warner reached a similar agreement with Udio, as record labels look to protect their catalogs while finding new revenue streams in a fast-changing industry. And it arrives amid global debates about how AI should use creative work. In the UK, officials say they want to “reset” the discussion after pushback from artists who are against their music being scraped for training without permission.
