AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models

Suno, the AI-driven music platform that has simultaneously irritated and attracted major players in the music world, has inked a new licensing deal with BMG. This partnership marks the latest step in Suno’s efforts to legitimize its operations by securing rights to copyrighted material. Under the agreement, Suno will compensate BMG for the use of its artists' recordings, and it will also cover the training of Suno’s previous AI models on BMG’s catalog.

This move places BMG alongside Warner Music Group as a partner to Suno, a company that has faced multiple lawsuits alleging it used audio recordings without permission to train its algorithms. Mikey Shulman, Suno’s CEO and co-founder, framed the collaboration as a step toward a more inclusive musical future. “We believe the future of music will be more participatory, creating entirely new ways for artists and fans to connect,” he said. “Building that future responsibly means working directly with the people who make music and the companies that represent them.” Shulman added that the goal is to offer artists and songwriters genuine choices, generate fresh revenue streams, and expand music’s role in everyday life.

BMG’s Celine Joshua, who serves as executive vice president of global marketing and streaming, echoed those sentiments, emphasizing that artists should “share in the value” that platforms like Suno might generate. “Choice is the guiding principle,” Joshua noted. “This agreement establishes strong protections, clear economics, and new creative possibilities for artists and their fans.” She described the deal as a forward-looking step as the industry enters what she called the “era of creation.” Notably, BMG’s decision to settle with Suno stands in contrast to its previous stance on AI; earlier this year, the company sued Anthropic in a California federal court for allegedly using its copyrighted songs—including tracks by Bruno Mars and the Rolling Stones—to train AI models, calling it a case of “widespread and systematic infringement.” That case, similar to a 2023 lawsuit filed by other publishers, remains unresolved.

The BMG agreement also adds a layer of credibility to Suno as it prepares to launch new models powered by licensed work, which the company said would arrive soon. Just last week, Suno announced plans to watermark songs downloaded from its platform to signal AI involvement and to restrict downloads across its three usage tiers, aiming to curb the spread of low-quality AI-generated content. These measures are part of a broader push to gain acceptance within the music industry. However, Suno still faces active lawsuits from Universal Music Group and Sony Music over copyright infringement, and a German court recently ruled that the company was violating both U.S. and German copyright laws. Despite these legal hurdles, the BMG partnership signals that some industry players are willing to explore collaborative paths forward.