Suno wants to invade the vinyl space now as well
Suno is taking AI-generated music beyond streaming with a new vinyl pressing service.
Vinyl had been left to gather dust by the mainstream as obsolescence lay in wait. Now, it’s once again a prized format for both artists and fans, and serves as a tangible way to support musicians in an increasingly digital landscape. It’s now also a standard gifting item, aesthetic flex, and general nice-to-have object, die-hard music fan or not. So, of course the natural next step for AI-generated music is vinyl…
Suno has announced Suno Vinyl, a new service that will let users press songs created on its AI platform onto 12-inch records.
Is AI music coming to wax?
As reported by Music Business Worldwide, Suno has opened a waitlist for the upcoming service, with each record expected to cost $45 plus shipping.
Users will be able to compile up to 46 minutes of music from their Suno library onto a single 12-inch record, customise the sleeve, labels and artwork, and have the finished product shipped to their door. Suno says the records will be pressed onto PETG, describes the material as eco-friendly, and stresses that they’re “a genuine pressed record, not a novelty cut.”
The company’s marketing focuses less on aspiring musicians and more on personal keepsakes. It suggests pressing “the anniversary song, the birthday track, the inside joke that became an anthem,” accompanied by the nauseating slogan, “Some songs deserve more than a stream.”
Launching under a cloud of lawsuits
The launch comes while Suno remains at the centre of multiple copyright disputes over how its AI models were trained.
As MBW reports, Universal Music Group and Sony Music continue to pursue legal action against the company, while Suno recently lost a copyright case brought by German collecting society GEMA and is also facing legal action from Denmark’s Koda.
Those legal battles have become one of the defining conversations around generative AI in music. Record labels, publishers and many artists argue that AI companies built their models using copyrighted recordings without permission, while AI firms maintain their technology represents a legitimate creative tool.
Does AI belong on vinyl?
Vinyl feels more closely associated with the human side of music, from the artwork to the physical object and its imperfections, plus the feeling of owning something created by an artist rather than simply streamed.
For many musicians, vinyl is more than just another format. It’s a way to give fans something tangible, whether that’s a limited-edition pressing, a signed record, or a special release that exists outside the digital streaming ecosystem. For fans, it’s part of a ritual. A physical way to connect with, and immerse oneself in, a record in a way that digital streaming does not provide.
That’s why putting AI-generated tracks onto vinyl feels like sacrilege. The format has almost become a symbol of craftsmanship and connection at a time when much of the music industry is moving towards automation, algorithms and soulless, instant creation.
TechRadar argued that Suno’s move risks alienising artists, collectors and audiophiles, pointing to the contrast between vinyl’s reputation as a deeply human format and AI-generated music’s increasingly prominent role in the industry.
Whether Suno Vinyl becomes a curiosity or a new category of music merchandise remains to be seen. This development does beg the question, though. As AI becomes part of more areas of music creation and consumption, where do listeners draw the line?