Warner Music settles $500 million Suno lawsuit, settles AI partnership

Warner Music Group (WMG) will begin an artificial intelligence (AI) music venture with technology start-up Suno, following a landmark lawsuit against the firm last year.

According to the lawsuit,  Warner will allow users to create AI-generated music on Suno, using the voices, names and likenesses of artists who opt into the program.

The record label, which represents artists like Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran, was among several music giants, including Sony Music, that sued Suno and a similar platform called Udio. AI-generated content has sparked controversy, with many artists expressing concerns that it might undermine human songwriters.

Starting next year, Suno will launch new advanced and licensed models for its generative-AI music platform, enabling users to create music based on simple descriptions. According to Warner, the Massachusetts-based firm has approximately 100 million users and was established two years ago.

Suno’s 2026 model will replace the current version and will require users to pay for audio downloads, while songs on the service’s free tier can still be played and shared. Warner described the “first-of-its-kind partnership” as a way to open “new frontiers” in music creation while ensuring that the creative community is compensated. ”

Artists and songwriters will have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in new AI-generated music,” the company stated. However, it did not specify which artists had opted into the program.

The agreement also resolves previous litigation between the companies.  Both Udio and Suno faced lawsuits from major music labels, including Warner, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. The Recording Industry Association of America announced the lawsuit in 2024, which the BBC has contacted for comment.

The labels accused Udio and Suno of profiting from the copying of existing songs, claiming that the platforms produced tracks indistinguishable from those created by real artists. They described the use of AI as “wholesale theft,” part of a trend that threatens the music ecosystem.

This legal battle occurred just months after around 200 artists, including Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj, signed a letter calling for an end to the “predatory” use of AI in the music industry. Supporters of generative AI works have likened machine learning by computers to how humans learn by reading, hearing, and seeing previous works.