Suno Strikes AI Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps Label-Backed Models - Variety

Aug 12, 2026 3:00am PT AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models By Corbin Bolies Plus Icon Corbin Bolies Latest AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models 10 hours ago Spotify Strikes Back Against AI Artists With ‘AI Persona’ Label 1 day ago AI Music Company Suno Unveils Download Caps for Free, Paid Tiers in Quest to Combat Abuse (EXCLUSIVE) 2 days ago See All Courtesy of Suno Suno , the AI music generator that’s managed to both rankle the music industry and lure some of its biggest talent to its side, has added music company BMG as its latest licensing partner as it prepares new models powered by licensed work. The partnership will see Suno pay for BMG’s repertoire of recordings from its artists, while also covering the use of any BMG songs to train Suno’s past models. BMG joins Warner Music Group in settling with the music-generation company, which has been the target of a series of lawsuits alleging unauthorized use of audio recordings to train its data. Related Stories Vin Diesel Cried Over the 'Fast Forever' Script, but the Movie's Director Still Hasn't Read It: 'There Will Be an Ending, and It's Great' Vin Diesel Says 'Fast Forever' Has the 'Best Script I Have Read in Decades': 'I Am Still Crying' “We believe the future of music will be more participatory, creating entirely new ways for artists and fans to connect,” Suno CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman said in a statement. “Building that future responsibly means working directly with the people who make music and the companies that represent them. Together with BMG, we can develop new experiences that give artists and songwriters real choice, generate new revenue, and make music a bigger part of people’s lives.” Popular on Variety Celine Joshua, BMG’s executive vice president of global marketing and streaming, framed music’s future as one where artists and songwriters “share in the value” platforms such as Suno may create. “Choice is the guiding principle,” Joshua said. “This agreement establishes strong protections, clear economics, and new creative possibilities for artists and their fans. As we enter the era of creation, we look forward to shaping that future together with our creators and Suno.” The settlement marks BMG’s most notable acceptance of AI’s role in music since the generative era began. It sued Anthropic in California federal court earlier this year for allegedly using its copyrighted works, including songs by the likes of Bruno Mars and the Rolling Stones, to train its models in what it called a scheme of “widespread and systematic infringement.” The case, similar to one brought by other music publishers in 2023, is ongoing. BMG also joined a collection of other music labels and companies last month, including WMG, Universal Music Group and Sony Music, in proposing a new set of guidelines for how AI-generated music could chart on music tracking lists, specifying that only tracks that were “substantially human made” qualify for the industry’s measure of success. The deal with BMG also gives Suno another layer of legitimacy as it prepares its new industry-backed models, which Suno said on Monday would come soon. Last week, Suno said it would begin watermarking songs downloaded from the platform to help signify the use of AI and limit song downloads for its three usage tiers to combat slop, efforts the company is taking to further legitimize its outputs among the music industry. Still, Suno is facing ongoing lawsuits from UMG and Sony Music for copyright infringement, and last month a German court found that the company was violating U.S. and German copyright laws. Big Shot Pictures Appoints Adam Rosenberg as Head of Film Hayley Williams’ Band Power Snatch Surprise-Releases ‘EP2’ American Film Market Expands With Launch of AFM House, Site of Its Innovation Hub ‘The Brink of War’ Review: Reagan and Gorbachev Engage in Unengaging Verbal Battle Lakers Sell to Bob Iger, Josh Kushner for $12.5 Billion ‘Barbie 2’ in Crisis: Sequel Could Be Shelved Amid Pay Battle and Crumbling Deal Talks Loading comments...