Warner Music Group (WMG) has settled its high-profile lawsuit with artificial intelligence music startup Suno and announced a major joint venture that could reshape the future of AI-powered music creation.
Under the agreement, Warner will allow Suno users to generate AI-created songs using the voices, names and likenesses of artists who voluntarily opt in. This marks a major shift for the music industry, which has long battled AI platforms over copyright and imitation concerns.
Suno previously faced lawsuits from Warner and other music giants including Sony Music and Universal Music Group for allegedly training AI models on copyrighted songs and producing music that sounded indistinguishable from real artists. The dispute, filed in 2024, marked one of the biggest legal battles over AI and music rights.
Beginning next year, Suno will introduce advanced licensed models to its AI music platform, enabling users to compose music using simple text prompts while ensuring compensation and control for artists. The company’s 2026 model will replace the current version, requiring users to pay for audio downloads, although songs created in the free tier can still be played and shared.
Warner called the collaboration a “first-of-its-kind partnership” that opens new creative opportunities while protecting the rights of musicians:
“Artists and songwriters will have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices and compositions are used in new AI-generated music,” Warner said.
Suno, launched just two years ago and already boasting around 100 million users, has quickly become a global leader in generative-music technology.
The settlement ends the legal conflict between the companies and signals a new industry approach — one that balances innovation with copyright protection. It also follows a wave of resistance from musicians; earlier this year, more than 200 artists including Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj called for action against the “predatory” use of AI in music.
Supporters of generative AI continue to argue that machine learning mirrors how humans learn — by taking inspiration from existing works — but the new partnership highlights a roadmap for AI development with permission, payment and creative control at the center.