The agreement is ElevenLabs’ first licensing deal with a major record label. It combines UMG’s music rights and artist network with ElevenLabs’ AI audio technology, while tying participation and compensation to the artists and songwriters whose work is involved.
“The most exciting possibilities for AI and music are those that put artists, songwriters, and fans at the center,” UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said. “UMG and ElevenLabs are aligned that responsible AI can inspire discovery, deepen engagement between artists and fans, and unlock new revenue opportunities for the creative community.”
ElevenLabs co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski said the companies intend to use the partnership to create new forms of interaction between fans and music while compensating rights holders.
“By combining UMG's global community and rights management expertise, with our AI models and products, we'll enable artists and songwriters to create powerful new experiences for their fans, and ensure they are fairly compensated,” Staniszewski said.
The companies did not limit the collaboration to the initial fan platform. Their agreement also covers future AI audio products and other experiences that could be developed over the course of the partnership.
That makes the arrangement broader than simply licensing songs for an existing ElevenLabs tool. The companies are building a separate product around licensed music, with UMG artists and songwriters able to participate in the resulting experiences.
ElevenLabs already offers two music products outside the deal. ElevenMusic lets users generate and edit original songs with control over vocals, instrumentation, style and arrangement, while its Music API gives developers and businesses access to the company’s music models.
The UMG platform will operate independently from those products. The companies have not disclosed when it will launch or which artists and songwriters will participate first.
This analysis is based on reporting from PR Newswire.
Image courtesy of Universal Music Group.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
