Musicians Union Sues Universal and Warner Over AI Use, Arguing Breach of Collective Bargaining Agreement

According to Pitchfork, the American Federation of Musicians is suing Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group for allegedly breaching their collective agreement with the union. The lawsuit, filed last Friday, alleges that UMG and WMG violated their agreement with the AFM in their practices regarding the licensing of music to AI companies. 

In 2024, UMG and WMG were part of a lawsuit filed against two leading AI companies, Suno and Udio, for copyright infringement after the AI developers had allegedly been training their models on licensed music. The record labels struck a deal with the companies the following year, allowing them to continue to train new models off of licensed music for artists who opted in to AI deals. The deal also claimed that artists would be compensated and retain full control over how their music and likeness were used. 

In the current lawsuit, the AFM has claimed that the union has not been compensated for the licensing of their works: “The AFM brings this lawsuit because defendants, two of the largest music companies in the world, have licensed sound recordings on which AFM-represented musicians have worked, without compensation or credit, to two AI companies,” the lawsuit states. “At the same time, they have refused to provide information to the AFM about which recordings and whose work is being licensed. While the defendants protected their own interests and created a significant source of new revenue with the retrospective settlements and prospective licenses, they have refused to compensate the musicians whose work — created with their own instruments and through their talent, creativity, and hard work — is fed into AI machines for profit.”

 Representatives from the two record labels have spoken about the lawsuit, with differing responses regarding such. A representative from WMG said they were “disappointed by the AFM’s unproductive action amid our ongoing negotiations.” While a representative from UMG asserted that the label has a “strong working relationship with the AFM built on mutual respect for the talented musicians in our industry” and they will “resolve any issues through negotiations.”