Suno says the models deliver improvements in speed, expressiveness and output quality while adding more ways to direct and modify generated tracks. Users can describe edits in ordinary language, change specific portions of a song, make adjustments tied to individual lyrics and use text, images or video as references for new music.
The system can also work with samples in new ways. Users can isolate an instrument from a source and build a new beat around it, while other tools allow samples to be created from existing tracks.
The licensed training approach marks a significant change from Suno's previous models. The company says V6 was trained using music covered by agreements with Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe and does not rely on the datasets used for earlier versions.
Suno founder and CEO Mikey Shulman described the new models as “faster, more expressive and higher quality.” “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,” Shulman said.
The release builds on a series of agreements between Suno and music rights holders. Warner Music Group, which had previously sued Suno alongside Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group over alleged copyright infringement, became Suno's first major music-industry partner nearly 10 months ago. BMG later reached its own agreement with the company, while Believe announced a partnership alongside the new model release.
Those agreements are also tied to Suno's commercial structure. Chief Product Officer Jack Brody said Suno shares part of its revenue with participating partners, although he declined to disclose the amount or identify the artists whose music was included in the training data. The labels and other rights holders determine how their share is distributed to artists.
“I think the music ecosystem and our partners are always looking for ways to create more revenue opportunities for their rights holders and artists. So a big part of this release is creating additional revenue streams there,” Brody said.
Suno also plans to introduce a remix feature allowing users to rework music from participating artists. Artists would need to opt into a label program that permits their catalogs to be used for those AI features.
The move toward licensed training does not end Suno's legal disputes. The company still faces copyright litigation from Universal Music Group and Sony, along with a class action filed by singer-songwriter Jason Isbell.
Suno has also taken additional steps aimed at limiting how generated music is distributed. The company has said it will add watermarks to AI-created songs and has introduced download limits based on subscription tiers to reduce large-scale exports of tracks to streaming distributors.
“We can help manage some of the broader ecosystem challenges like streaming fraud and kind of mass exportation and uploading to distributors that are low intent. At the end of the day, we think it is up to the distributors and the platforms to govern what content goes on there,” Brody said.
With V6, Suno is moving its core product onto licensed training data while turning several former legal adversaries into content partners. The remaining lawsuits from Universal and Sony, however, mean the company's shift has not resolved the larger dispute over how its earlier AI systems were developed.
This analysis is based on reporting from The Hollywood Reporter.
Image courtesy of Suno.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
