Warner Music Group has officially reached a licensing agreement with Suno, the AI music generator it sued last year over copyright concerns. The deal not only resolves the previous legal dispute but also pushes Suno toward a licensed, paid-use model, allowing users to download AI-generated music. At the same time, it ensures that artists and songwriters are compensated. Under the new framework, creators will retain full control over how their music, images, and other rights are utilized in AI applications. Additionally, as part of the agreement, Suno has acquired Songkick, the concert discovery platform formerly owned by Warner.
In a bid to hold back the AI music flooding streaming services, the current, more liberal Suno models will be phased out, according to the press release. Notably, the press release imagines a future where Suno launches “new, more advanced and licensed models,” but not fully licensed models, which would require mass industry cooperation.
Legal action from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment—who joined Warner in filing suit against Suno—remains unresolved. In their complaint, the labels argued that Suno and fellow AI music platform Udio unlawfully trained their systems on recordings by major stars such as Drake, Bruce Springsteen, and Green Day, creating “machine-generated content” that could undercut and overwhelm the legitimate market. This past October, UMG reached its own settlement with Udio, resulting in new restrictions on how the platform operates. And in a significant industry milestone just last week, AI startup Klay became the first company to secure licensing deals with all three major labels and their publishing divisions.