Common Music Group (UMG) and Udio, a synthetic intelligence (AI) developer centered on music, have reached an settlement in final 12 months’s copyright infringement lawsuit, which UMG, Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and the Recording Business Affiliation of America introduced towards Udio and Suno. On the time, UMG accused Udio of copyright infringement on an “virtually unimaginable scale” and coaching its AI fashions on the label’s recordings. A press launch from UMG states that the 2 firms will now “collaborate on an progressive, new industrial music creation, consumption, and streaming expertise,” as Billboard notes. The deal additionally features a compensatory authorized settlement for UMG.
UMG’s lawsuit towards Udio was centered solely on infringement of the corporate’s sound recordings; the brand new settlement has established a licensing framework for UMG’s sound recordings in addition to songs and publishing belongings. Collaborating UMG artists and songwriters will obtain monetary compensation for the coaching of AI fashions and for its outputs. The brand new collaborative platform launches in 2026, and UMG artists and songwriters can decide in to take part. Songs created utilizing Udio’s present mannequin will likely be “managed inside a walled backyard,” fingerprinted, and filtered earlier than the brand new results go into place.
“The brand new subscription service will rework the person engagement expertise, making a licensed and guarded setting to customise, stream, and share music responsibly, on the Udio platform,” reads the press launch. Billboard reviews that customers can create mashups, remixes, and tempo adjustments to current, licensed works; swap vocals with UMG artists’ voices who opted in to this system; and might solely hearken to the creations inside the service.
In a press release, Udio co-founder and chief govt Andrew Sanchez mentioned, “This second brings to life all the things we’ve been constructing towards—uniting AI and the music business in a means that actually champions artists. Collectively, we’re constructing the technological and enterprise panorama that may basically develop what’s attainable in music creation and engagement.”
UMG chairman and chief govt Lucian Grainge added, “These new agreements with Udio display our dedication to do what’s proper by our artists and songwriters, whether or not which means embracing new applied sciences, creating new enterprise fashions, diversifying income streams or past. We sit up for working with Andrew who shares our perception that collectively, we are able to foster a wholesome industrial AI ecosystem wherein artists, songwriters, music firms and know-how firms can all flourish and create unbelievable experiences for followers.”
