Universal Music Group (UMG) has forged a strategic alliance with Stability AI to develop next-generation professional music creation tools. This partnership, announced on October 30, aims to leverage responsibly trained generative AI to support the creative processes of artists, producers, and songwriters globally. Stability AI’s research and product teams will collaborate closely with UMG and its artists to understand the needs and technical approaches required for these advanced tools. The collaboration will explore new recording and composition concepts, gather insights into artists’ needs, and better understand how artists adopt and engage with these technologies.
This announcement follows closely on the heels of UMG’s settlement with AI music platform Udio, revealed on October 29. The settlement included a collaboration agreement to launch a new platform featuring licensed AI music, set to debut in 2026. Stability AI, known for its Stable Diffusion image generator and Stable Audio AI music model, will work with UMG’s research and product teams to build software trained on licensed music catalogs. The partnership will integrate UMG artists directly into the development process, gathering feedback on what creators need from AI-powered recording and composition tools.
The goal is to create fully licensed, commercially safe AI music tools that support both artists and rightsholders while preserving the integrity of the art form. Stability AI claims to be the industry leader in commercially safe generative audio, with its Stable Audio family of models built specifically for professionals and trained exclusively on licensed data to support responsible, high-quality music and sound generation.
Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer & EVP of Universal Music Group, emphasized the importance of this agreement, stating, “This agreement is an extension of our fundamental orientation that our artists and songwriters are the cornerstone of our business. With AI, as with everything else we do, we start with what best supports our work to help them achieve creative and commercial success and build from that foundation to forge new and better commercial and creative opportunities.”
Nash added, “And as we’ve made abundantly clear, we will only consider advancing AI tools and products based on models that are trained responsibly. We’re looking forward to working with Stability AI to deeply integrate AI tools development with the vision and creative ambitions of our artists and to the results and rewards this initiative offers to all.”
Prem Akkaraju, CEO of Stability AI, highlighted the significance of the partnership, saying, “UMG has long been a leader in technological innovation in music. This partnership marks the next chapter of music creation. At Stability AI, we put the artist at the center and build AI around their unique needs because real transformation has always come from a combination of art and science.”
UMG’s deals with Udio and Stability AI are part of a series of industry-first AI-related agreements it has struck with companies including YouTube, TikTok, Meta, KDDI, KLAY Vision, BandLab, Soundlabs, and Pro-Rata, among others. For Stability AI, the UMG deal follows its recent strategic partnerships with Electronic Arts for game development and marketing firm WPP for advertising applications, extending its strategy into music production.
In July, Akkaraju told the Financial Times that Stability AI is exploring the development of a marketplace where artists can license their work for AI training. This marketplace would allow creators to voluntarily submit artwork and receive compensation when AI companies use their content for model training.
Stability AI is currently facing multiple copyright infringement lawsuits. In one case, Seattle-based Getty Images sued Stability AI in both the UK and the US, alleging illegal use of 12 million images without permission or compensation. Separately, illustrators Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz filed a class action lawsuit in January 2023 against Stability AI and two other companies, challenging the use of their works for AI model training.
In August, Stability AI researchers noted that AI is creating “potentially new” music genres. They found that before AI, musicians had to dedicate years to learn a specific genre. Now, AI can blend and produce music in multiple and potentially new genres, opening up new creative possibilities.
This strategic alliance between UMG and Stability AI could significantly shape the future of music creation, offering artists and producers innovative tools that enhance their creative processes while ensuring the integrity and commercial viability of their work. The collaboration underscores the growing intersection of AI and the music industry, paving the way for new opportunities and challenges in the sector.
