Universal, Warner near AI licensing deals with Google, Spotify, start-ups: FT

Universal Music Group and Warner Music are within weeks of clinching landmark licensing agreements with artificial intelligence companies, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.The talks, involving Alphabet’s Google, Spotify, and start-ups such as ElevenLabs, Stability AI, Suno, Udio and Klay Vision, could reshape how the industry manages music rights in the AI era, the report said.

Negotiations centre on licensing label catalogs for training large language models and creating AI-generated music. The labels are pressing for a compensation structure mirroring streaming platforms, where every play triggers a micropayment.
For the ordinary listener, this could mark a turning point. Until now, many AI music apps have been accused of “copying” the styles or even voices of famous artists without paying them. If these deals go through, it would create a legal, structured way for AI to use songs—much like how Spotify made digital streaming legal after years of piracy in the 2000s.The surge in generative AI use has already prompted lawsuits from artists and rights holders, who accuse AI firms of exploiting copyrighted works without consent or compensation. A licensing framework could reduce these disputes, though critics say it still raises questions about how original artists benefit when AI creates new tracks in their likeness.