Warner Music Group, one of the major labels that sued AI song generator Suno last year for alleged copyright infringement, has changed its tune and signed licensing deal with the company. The new partnership both settles their prior litigation and is designed to help Suno move toward a licensed model where users will pay to download songs made on its platform with artificial intelligence. According to the announcement, artists and songwriters will be compensated if they choose to opt in to AI deals and will retain “full control” over how their music, likeness and other copyrights are used. Suno, known for being the program that AI band The Velvet Sundown was created on, has also acquired the concert listings Songkick, formerly owned by Warner, as part of the deal, according to Pitchfork.
In an effort to attempt to keep AI music from 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.
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