AI-Music Generation Platform Suno Partners With Warner Music Group After Legal Battle That Strategic Partner Timbaland Called ‘Disruptive’ – AfroTech
Timbaland is in favor of a new agreement that is set to benefit a wave of artists in the age of AI.
Timbaland has been an advocate for AI, even as it ruffles the feathers of various artists, especially following Xania Monet’s foray into the industry. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Monet is an AI-powered artist who faced criticism from Kehlani, K. Michelle, and Victoria Monet.
Monet, created by Mississippi poet and design studio owner Telisha Jones, is signed to a multi-million-dollar record deal and has also charted on Billboard.
“You better check out xania monet who’s killing it good music,” Timbaland commented in a post shared on Instagram, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
Timbaland’s endorsement shouldn’t come as a surprise. He became a strategic advisor for Suno, a music creation tool powered by AI, in October 2024, according to a press release.
“When I heard what Suno was doing, I was immediately curious,” Timbaland said in the release. “After witnessing the potential, I knew I had to be a part of it. By combining forces, we have a unique opportunity to make AI work for the artist community and not the other way around. We’re seizing that opportunity, and we’re going to open up the floodgates for generations of artists to flourish on this new frontier.”
In the same year, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment sued Suno for copyright infringement, Techloy reports.
Warner Music Group has now settled with Suno, and their agreement will “open new frontiers in music creation, interaction, and discovery, while both compensating and protecting artists, songwriters, and the wider creative community,” according to TechCrunch.
In 2026, Suno will launch with newer licensed models, and the models currently in use will be retired. To download audio, users can only do so with a paid account. In the future, songs available under its free tier will no longer be downloadable, but will be playable and shareable, notes the outlet.
Suno has also acquired Warner Music Group’s live music, concert-discovery platform, Songkick.
What’s more, artists and songwriters will also have full autonomy on how their “names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in new AI-generated music” and will be able to benefit from the revenue streams, TechCrunch reports.
Timbaland called the agreement “DISRUPTIVE” on Instagram.
Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group CEO, commented in a the press release:
“This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone. With Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetization, we’ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences. AI becomes pro-artist when it adheres to our principles: committing to licensed models, reflecting the value of music on and off platform, and providing artists and songwriters with an opt-in for the use of their name, image, likeness, voice and compositions in new AI songs.”
