The Financial Times (FT) reported on the 19th, citing sources, that Warner Music, one of the world's three largest record labels in the United States, signed a licensing agreement with the music-generating artificial intelligence (AI) Start - Up Udio.
Udio plans to launch a subscription streaming service next year that will allow users to create songs using tracks and other assets owned by Warner Music. According to sources, artists' consent is required for Warner Music to provide their tracks to the service.
Warner, which represents famous artists such as Charli XCX, Madonna, and Ed Sheeran, resolved its copyright lawsuit with Udio through the deal. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a damages suit last year on behalf of Warner Music, Universal Music, and Sony Music against Udio and the AI Start - Up Suno. The association claimed the Start - Ups used copyrighted tracks without permission to train their AI models.
On the prior month, Universal Music also resolved its music copyright dispute with Udio and signed a licensing agreement. The subscription service Udio plans to launch is also expected to include tracks owned by Universal Music.
FT said the recording industry, which experienced the shock of Napster (a music file-sharing site) that rattled the music business in the early 2000s, is seeking to respond proactively to AI technology. Record companies have focused on negotiating with AI corporations and setting up copyright compensation frameworks. Warner Music also said it signed a licensing agreement with Stability AI on the day.
However, many artists still oppose AI-generated music, FT said. Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox even released a "silent album" to protest the British government's push to amend the Copyright Act.