Warner Music Group has ended its copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music platform Suno, striking a licensing agreement that represents a significant turning point in how the music industry is addressing generative AI technology. The settlement, announced in late November, gives Suno access to WMG’s artist catalog while establishing protections for musicians in the AI music generation space.
Key Terms of the Agreement
Under the new partnership, Suno will be able to license music and the likenesses of artists signed to Warner Music Group, which include Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and Sabrina Carpenter. Crucially, the deal includes an opt-in structure that gives artists and songwriters full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in AI-generated music.
“AI becomes pro-artist when it adheres to our principles: committing to licensed models, reflecting the value of music on and off platform, and providing artists and songwriters with an opt-in for the use of their name, image, likeness, voice and compositions in new AI songs,” WMG CEO Robert Kyncl stated in the announcement.
Platform Changes Coming in 2026
As part of the settlement, Suno is committing to significant changes to its service. The platform will launch new, more advanced licensed AI models in 2026, after which its current models will be deprecated. The company is also implementing stricter download policies: songs created on the free tier will no longer be downloadable but will remain playable and shareable, while paid tier users will receive limited monthly download caps with the option to purchase additional downloads.
Strategic Asset Acquisition
In an unexpected move, Suno is acquiring Songkick, Warner Music Group’s concert discovery platform. WMG stated that the combination of Suno and Songkick would “create new potential to deepen the artist-fan connection,” suggesting both companies see value in integrating music creation tools with concert discovery features.
Part of Broader Industry Shift
This settlement follows Warner Music Group’s earlier licensing deal with rival AI music platform Udio, which was also accompanied by the dismissal of copyright litigation. The Udio agreement established a joint platform set to launch in 2026 that will allow users to create remixes, covers, and original songs using licensed voices and compositions from WMG artists.
The dual agreements signal that major record labels may be shifting strategy. Rather than continuing lengthy litigation, companies like WMG are negotiating licensing arrangements that provide revenue opportunities while establishing clearer rules around artist consent and compensation. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are reportedly pursuing similar licensing deals with both Suno and Udio.
Industry Impact
The settlement comes after Suno openly acknowledged using “essentially all music files of reasonable quality that are accessible on the open internet” to train its AI models, a practice the company justified under fair use doctrine. This admission, which critics characterized as a blatant acknowledgment of copyright infringement, made the licensing deals particularly significant as evidence that record labels view negotiated agreements as preferable to protracted legal battles over AI training practices.
The shift reflects growing recognition within the music industry that AI music generation is not going away, and that establishing licensing frameworks may be more effective than attempting to block the technology entirely.
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