Warner Music Group (WMG) has signed a licensing deal with artificial intelligence (AI) music technology company Klay Vision Inc., making it the first AI music startup to land licensing deals with all three major record companies and their publishing companies. In separate agreements, Universal Music Group (UMG) signed a similar deal last year, as did Sony Music Entertainment (SME). A press release claims Klay will “help further evolve music experiences for fans, leveraging the potential of AI, while fully respecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and rightsholders.”
Klay uses its interactive tool Large Music Model, which is trained solely on licensed music, to “reimagine listening.” The company states that Klay “is not a prompt-based meme generation engine,” but rather a “new subscription product that will uplift great artists and celebrate their craft.” Klay prides itself on working with the music industry to enhance human creativity instead of trying to replace it. The company hopes to include independent labels, artists, publishers, and songwriters next.
In a press release, multiple parties involved in the deal shared their own statements, including Warner Music Group’s executive vice president and chief digital officer, Carletta Higginson: “Our goal is always to support and elevate the creativity of our artists and songwriters, while fiercely protecting their rights and works. From day one, Klay has taken the right approach to the rapidly-evolving AI universe by creating a holistic platform that both expands artistic possibilities and preserves the value of music. We appreciate the Klay team’s work in advancing this technology and guiding these important agreements.”
Universal Music Group’s executive vice president, Michael Nash, shared a similar sentiment last year when his company inked its own deal. “We are excited to partner with entrepreneurs like the team leading Klay, to explore new opportunities and ethical solutions for artists and the wider music ecosystem, advancing generative AI technology in ways that are both respectful of copyright and have the potential to profoundly impact human creativity,” he said. “UMG has always endeavored to lead the music industry in driving innovation, embracing new technologies and supporting entrepreneurship while protecting human artistry.”
Klayfounder and chief executive Ary Attie added, “Technology is shaped by the people behind it and the people who use it. At Klay, from the beginning, we set out to earn the trust of the artists and songwriters whose work makes all of this possible. We will continue to operate with those values, bringing together a growing community to reimagine how music can be shared, enjoyed, and valued. Our goal is simple: to help people experience more of the music they love, in ways that were never possible before—while helping create new value for artists and songwriters. Music is human at its core. Its future must be too.”
Last month, UMG and Udio, an AI developer focused on music, reached an agreement in their 2024 copyright infringement lawsuit, which UMG, SME, WMG, and the Recording Industry Association of America brought against Udio and Suno. At the time, UMG accused Udio of copyright infringement on an “almost unimaginable scale” and training its AI models on the label’s recordings. After lengthy back and forth, UMG and the two companies decided instead to “collaborate on an innovative, new commercial music creation, consumption, and streaming experience.”
