Warner Music signs deal with AI-powered music startup Suno, settles lawsuit

Warner Music Group (WMG) announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Suno to settle a copyright lawsuit against the AI-powered music startup. The deal with Suno “will break new ground in music creation, engagement and discovery, while compensating and protecting artists, songwriters and the broader creative community,” WMG said in a press release.

WMG also announced that it has sold Songkick, a live music and concert discovery platform, to Suno for an undisclosed sum. WMG acquired the Songkick app and brand in 2017, while Live Nation later acquired Songkick’s ticketing business.

WMG says Songkick will continue as a fan destination under Suno’s leadership.

As a result of the WMG partnership, Suno will launch more advanced, licensed models that will replace its current models next year. Downloading audio from the service will require a paid account, while in the free tier users will be limited to playing and sharing existing songs on the platform.

WMG artists and songwriters will also have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices and tracks are used in new AI-generated music.

Artists signed to WMG include Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter, and more.

“This historic agreement with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone,” WMG CEO Robert Kinkel said in the press release. “As Suno expands rapidly, both in terms of users and monetization, we embrace this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences.”

The news comes a week after WMG settled a copyright lawsuit with AI music startup Udio and entered into a licensing deal for its AI music creation service, which is scheduled to launch in 2026.

WMG’s settlements with Suno and Udio represent a major shift in the music industry’s approach to artificial intelligence. Last year, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment sued Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. While WMG has settled its lawsuits with Suno and Udio, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are also reportedly in talks to license their works to Udio and Suno and settle their lawsuits against the startups.

In a sign of investor confidence in AI-powered music technology, Suno announced last week that it had raised a $250 million Series C round at a post-cash valuation of $2.45 billion. The round was led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Nvidia’s investment arm, NVitures, as well as Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.