Sept 9 (Reuters) - AI music startup Suno on Wednesday launched a suite of AI models in partnership with record companies Warner Music Group and BMG to allow users to generate new music inspired by licensed music of participating artists.
This move comes amid increasing scrutiny of AI music generators like Suno and Udio, as artists fret about uncompensated use of their work and streaming platforms like Deezer and Spotify working to improve transparency around AI-generated tracks.
Last year, Udio settled copyright lawsuits with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, while Suno settled a copyright lawsuit with Warner Music and signed licensing deals.
Suno said its flagship v6 model and the exploratory v6-Wild model will be available to both Pro and Premier tier subscribers. V6 will provide precise music generation for specific creative goals, while v6-Wild will offer results for exploration and new ideas.
Its v6-mini will be available to all users at no cost and the company expects to offer "better, faster results than any free model on any music creation platform."
"We believe this is a blueprint for how AI and the music industry can strengthen one another and build entirely new product experiences for artists, fans, and the broader music community," Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said in a statement.
Suno said last year its new models would replace previous versions to move the platform entirely onto the v6 generation.
The startup, which offers monthly Pro and Premier subscription plans in the U.S. priced at $8 and $24, respectively, had recently raised more than $400 million in a funding round that valued the startup at $5.4 billion.
"What comes next is a new kind of product we're developing: opt-in experiences built around individual artists, where artists can choose to participate and get paid when they do," Shulman, who co-founded Suno in 2022, said.
Swedish giant Spotify is also developing an AI-powered remixing tool that would let users create new versions of licensed music and share them with fans while keeping the content within the platform.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
