Warner Music Group (WMG) has reached a comprehensive agreement with AI music startup Suno, settling its copyright lawsuit and establishing a new partnership intended to shape the next phase of AI-assisted music creation. WMG said the deal will enable new forms of music interaction and discovery while ensuring that artists, songwriters, and rights holders receive protection and compensation.
As part of the agreement, WMG has sold the live music and concert-discovery platform Songkick to Suno. The service will continue operating as a fan destination under Suno’s ownership. Suno will now develop licensed, more advanced AI music models to replace its current versions in 2025. Audio downloads will require a paid subscription, while free-tier users will be limited to playing and sharing tracks created on the platform.
WMG’s global roster — which includes Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and Sabrina Carpenter — will retain full control over how their names, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in AI-generated works.
The announcement follows WMG’s recent settlement with AI startup Udio as the music industry shifts toward licensing-based approaches for AI-generated content. Suno’s expanding footprint was underscored last week by a $250 million Series C funding round led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures, Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.
