Suno Clashes with Major Labels Over AI Music Sharing

AI music generation platform Suno is actively negotiating licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. According to the Financial Times, the main sticking point revolves around whether users should be allowed to share the AI-created tracks they produce.

Reports indicate that Universal Music prefers AI-generated content to remain confined within applications like Suno, rather than circulating freely across the internet. In contrast, Suno advocates for users having broader rights to share and distribute these songs. The platform, which enables music creation via text prompts, was a primary target of major copyright litigation filed by Universal, Sony, and Warner Music in 2024.

The ability to download AI-generated audio from Suno has sparked concerns regarding the spread of fake music and potential plagiarism of existing songs. Earlier this year, a coalition representing artists signed an open letter titled "Reject Suno," accusing the platform of building its business on the backs of creators by harvesting global cultural output without permission and competing against the very works it exploited.

Warner Music dropped its lawsuit against Suno last year after reaching a licensing deal that permits users to utilize participating artists' voices, names, likenesses, and works through an opt-in program. Meanwhile, although Universal has secured an agreement with AI music tool Udio, that deal explicitly prohibits users from downloading their AI-generated creations from the app.