The music industry is experiencing dramatic legal battles surrounding the training of generative AI models. After the record industry association RIAA filed lawsuits in 2024 on behalf of Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music against AI platforms Suno and Udio for copyright infringement, distinct split strategies have emerged among major industry players.
Universal Music reached a settlement with Udio, while Warner Music signed comprehensive licensing agreements with both Udio and Suno. In return, both AI platforms committed to transitioning their services to run exclusively on officially licensed AI training models while remunerating rights holders.
In stark contrast, Sony Music continues an aggressive legal battle before US federal courts. Sony rejected settlement offers and demands statutory damages of up to 150,000 US dollars per infringed work. By expanding its complaint to cover more than 60,000 titles, the theoretical damages risk for Suno escalated into several billion dollars.
Simultaneously, pressure is mounting from performing artists themselves. The American Federation of Musicians union filed a lawsuit against Universal and Warner. The union alleges that the major record labels collected revenue and settlement payments from AI deals without sharing these earnings with studio musicians as contractually required.
These parallel legal battles illustrate a structural transformation across the music landscape. Traditional licensing frameworks are being renegotiated from the ground up to address generative audio tools and ensure equitable compensation for all creative contributors.