Universal chooses Udio, an AI music platform

In the first significant agreement of its sort for the industry, Universal Music Group recently established a new joint venture to launch a licensed AI music platform in 2026 and settled its copyright dispute against AI music generator Udio. The specifics: A monetary settlement and licensing for UMG's catalog are part of the agreement, and users will be able to remix songs and create in the styles of artists on the future site. Artists that choose to participate in the upcoming platform will receive payment for both model training and song remixes. As part of the shift to limit access just within the platform, Udio instantly stopped song downloads, which provoked criticism from its user base. In order to develop new AI tools for artists with an emphasis on ethically trained model creation, UMG also announced a new "strategic alliance" with Stability AI. Similar to the journalism/AI conflict, UMG is moving from plaintiff to partner, which could lead to a new model for how big labels will handle AI music. However, Udio's sudden, fleeting actions also caught its user base off guard, depriving them of a great deal of creative flexibility.