Warner Music Group announced on Tuesday that it has reached a deal with Suno, settling its copyright lawsuit against the AI music startup. In a press release, Warner Music Group stated that the deal with Suno will open new frontiers in music creation, interaction, and discovery, while both compensating and protecting artists, songwriters, and the wider creative community.
Warner Music Group also announced that it has sold Songkick, a live music and concert-discovery platform, to Suno for an undisclosed amount. Warner Music Group had acquired Songkick’s app and brand in 2017, while Live Nation later acquired Songkick’s ticketing business. Warner Music Group says Songkick will continue as a fan destination under Suno.
As a result of the partnership, Suno will launch more advanced and licensed models that will replace its current ones next year. Downloading audio from the service will require a paid account, while users on the free tier will be limited to playing and sharing songs made on the platform.
Warner Music Group’s artists and songwriters will also have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in new AI-generated music. Artists signed to Warner Music Group include Lady Gaga, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl called the pact a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone. He stated that with Suno rapidly scaling in both users and monetization, they have seized this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences.
The news comes a week after Warner Music Group settled its copyright lawsuit with AI music startup Udio and entered into a licensing deal for an AI music creation service set to launch in 2026.
Warner Music Group’s settlements with Suno and Udio mark a significant shift in the music industry’s approach to AI. Last year, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment sued Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. While Warner Music Group has settled its lawsuits, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are also reportedly in talks to license their work to Udio and Suno and settle their lawsuits against the startups.
In a sign of investor confidence in AI music technology, Suno announced last week that it raised a two hundred fifty million dollar Series C round at a two point four five billion dollar post-money valuation. The round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Nvidia’s venture arm NVentures, as well as Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.