Posts

Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group Starts Joint AI Music Venture After Settling Lawsuit 

/in , /by

Warner Music Group (WMG) will be starting an artificial intelligence music venture with Suno, a technology startup, one year after the group sued the firm in a landmark case. 

Embed from Getty Images

The settlement agreement made between Suno and WMG gives Warner the ability to let users create AI-generated music on Suno using the voices, names, and likeness of artists who opt-in to the program. 

The record label itself represents artists like Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran. They were among several music giants like Sony Music that sued Suno over a similar platform called Udio, according to reports from the BBC. 

This settlement has added to the overall controversy surrounding AI and copyright laws in the entertainment sphere. Many singers, actors, writers, etc. have voiced their concerns over the use of AI and how it undermines real artists and the work that they do. 

In a statement, Warner said that starting next year Suno will be rolling out new advanced and licensed models to its generative-AI music platform which will allow users to create music based on simple descriptions. 

Suno has around 100 million users and was initially launched two years ago out of Massachusetts. The company’s model for 2026 will actually be replacing their existing version to require users to pay for audio downloads. 

Embed from Getty Images

Warner said that songs on the service’s free tier can still be played and shared. They also said that this is a “first-of-its-kind partnership [that will open] new frontiers” in creating music while making sure creative individuals will be 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 deal also settles previous litigation between the companies,” said Warner. 

The group didn’t say which artists had opted-in to the program. 

Suno was sued by music groups Warner, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Croup. The lawsuit was initially announced in 2024 by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

The labels accused both Suno and Udio, another AI company offering a similar service, of profiting from copying existing songs. They made claims that both platforms produced tracks that were “indistinguishable” from the works created by real artists, according to BBC. 

The company said that their use of AI was “wholesale theft” which is threatening the “music ecosystem.” 

The legal battle also came months after around 200 artists signed a letter calling for the “predatory use of AI” in the music industry to be stopped.

David Bowie Song Catalogue Publishing Rights Sold For $250 Million

/in , /by

The publishing rights to David Bowie’s extensive and iconic catalogue of songs have been sold by his estate to Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the publishing arm of Warner Music Group. According to an anonymous source, the deal is worth at least $250 million. 

Guy Moot, chief executive of WCM, said: “These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music for ever … We are looking forward to tending his unparalleled body of songs with passion and care as we strive to build on the legacy of this most extraordinary human being.”

Embed from Getty Images

The deal itself means that Warner now owns all the rights to Bowie’s songwriting itself, as well as almost all of the recordings of it. In September of this year, Warner completed a deal to acquire Bowie’s recordings and songs from 2000 to 2016 when he passed away. 

Warner already owned all of Bowie’s recordings that were done between 1968 to 1999. There is now just a small number of recorded music that Bowie recorded before the late 60’s that Warner Music does not own. 

Warner Music has been repackaging Bowie’s back catalogue in a series of box sets in recent years, which happens fairly often when an older musical legend’s discography is purchased by a larger label. 

Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Fleetwood Mac are some other musical legends who have sold the catalogues of their music to various companies as a means of earning more money in exchange for the rights. 

Embed from Getty Images

These deals and acquisitions allow publishing companies to acquire income from royalties, as well as when music is licensed for use in films, TV, and advertising as well. 

The specific terms of the Bowie deal have not been disclosed to the public, however, the Bowie estate in the past has been known for closely controlling the use of his music. The 2020 David Bowie biopic, Stardust, which was about the creation of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona, was forbidden by the estate from using any of Bowie’s music in the film. 

WCM co-chair Carianne Marshall said: “We were pleased that the estate felt that Warner Chappell has the knowledge, experience, and resources to take the reins and continue to promote a collection of this stature. All of our global leaders and departments are incredibly excited and primed to get to work with these brilliant songs across multiple avenues and platforms.”

Another film has already been approved by the estate, and will be a documentary by Brett Morgan, who is using thousands of hours of rare and unseen live performance footage.