Warner and Suno partner in a landmark deal for AI music that puts artists in control
The groundbreaking AI licensing deal will allow Suno users to create AI-generated music from Warner’s artists.
Warner Music Group (WMG) and Suno have announced a new deal to open up new opportunities in the AI music creation space. The agreement will let Suno users create AI-generated tracks using the names, voices, likenesses, images, and compositions of WMG artists. Those potential artists could include the likes of Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Charli XCX, Coldplay, and more.
The deal also settles the lawsuit WMG filed against Suno last year, replacing it with a more collaborative path moving forward.
What’s actually in the deal?
At its core, the agreement opens new creative possibilities for AI music creation, while also compensating and protecting artists and songwriters. It means that Suno’s future models can be trained on WMG materials while giving WMG’s artists full control over how their voices and likeness are used.
Instead of having their work scraped without permission, artists can now choose to opt-in. In return, WMG, its artists and its songwriters, will directly benefit from proper licensing and revenue-sharing thanks to Suno’s new paid tiers.
Plus, Suno also acquired Songkick from WMG within the deal. Songkick is a live music and concert-discovery platform, which will continue to operate under Suno’s guidance.
What’s changing for Suno?
This partnership brings meaningful changes to the Suno platform in 2026. One of the biggest shifts is that Suno will be able to train new AI-music generation models on properly licensed music from WMG’s catalog, surpassing the company’s existing v5 model. According to Suno CEO Mikey Shulman, this will help deliver a “bigger, richer Suno experience”:
“Our partnership with Warner Music unlocks a bigger, richer Suno experience for music lovers… this means we’ll be rolling out new, more robust features for creation, opportunities to collaborate and interact with some of the most talented musicians in the world, all while continuing to build the biggest music ecosystem possible.”
Mikey Shulman, Suno CEO
Suno is also adjusting its business model to help drive more revenue to the music ecosystem. Going forward, downloading audio will require a paid subscription, with each paid tier offering a set number of monthly downloads. Free users will still be able to create, play, and share their tracks, but downloads will be reserved for paid tiers.
What this mean for artists and songwriters
For artists and songwriters, the deal addresses two major concerns about AI music by establishing proper licensing structures and ensuring creators are compensated. WMG CEO, Robert Kyncl, described the partnership as “a victory of the creative community that benefits everyone.”
Now, WMG’s artists and songwriters won’t have to worry about their work being used without permission, or AI clones appearing out of nowhere. Thanks to the opt-in approach, artists can simply choose whether or not to participate, and if they do they’ll get compensated for it. As WMG’s CEO puts it:
“With Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetization, we’ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences. AI becomes pro-artist when it adheres to our principles: committing to licensing models, reflecting the value of music on and off platform, and providing artists and songwriters with an opt-in for the use of their name, image, likeness, voice and compositions in new AI songs.”
Robert Kyncl, WMG CEO
A broader shift in the music industry
For the industry, this partnership isn’t a one-off. It’s part of a growing trend that indicates major industry players are beginning to collaborate with AI music companies rather than fight against them.
Despite doubling down on their lawsuits against AI music generators this year, major labels have also shown willingness to enter licensing talks with them. Earlier this month, both WMG and Universal Music Group settled their lawsuits with AI music generator Udio in favor of licensing agreements. It’s a clear signal that the major labels are willing to embrace AI music if it works on their own terms.
The cherry on top for AI music generators? Suno recently closed a $250 million funding round at a $2.45 billion valuation. That only underscores just how strongly investors believe in the future of AI music creation.
Wrapping up
Through this new partnership, WMG and Suno are laying down the blueprint for what responsible AI music creation can look like. It shows how AI can evolve in ways that respect artists’ rights while unlocking new creative possibilities that drive more revenues for the music industry.
And that marks another step toward a future where AI innovation works with creators, not at their expense.