Musicians union sues UMG and Warner Music over AI use
The American Federation of Musicians sued the two music companies over alleged licensing of music to two AI companies, Suno and Udio.
The world’s largest union for professional musicians, the American Federation of Musicians, has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Warner Music Group (WMG) over the companies’ alleged licensing of its members’ music to two AI music firms without paying or crediting the musicians. The breach of contract lawsuit was filed on Friday, June 5, in New York federal court. The complaint stems from Universal Music’s recent lawsuit settlement and partnership with AI music generation platform Udio, as well as Warner Music’s licensing of Udio and alternative platform Suno. It argues that, while UMG and WMG reached settlements that were lucrative for themselves, neither involved party ended up compensating the musicians whose work was unlawfully used to train Suno and Udio. The companies’ decision to partner up with the two AI operators, the AFM argues, signals a continued breach of contract.
“While the Defendants protected their own interests and created a significant source of new revenue with the retrospective settlements and prospective licenses, they have refused to compensate the musicians whose work—created with their own instruments and through their talent, creativity, and hard work—is fed into AI machines for profit,” the complaint reads.
In 2024, UMG, WMG, and Sony Music Group actually sued Suno and Udio, accusing the AI companies of using music in their catalogs in an effort to create AI “music” that would “directly compete with, cheapen, and ultimately drown out” human artistry. In settlements last year, UMG and WMG allowed Udio to use their licensed music. Universal’s case against Suno is ongoing, and Sony Music Group is the only “big three” record company that has not yet settled with either AI company. AFM’s complaint argues that WMG and UMG have, in effect, allowed Suno and Udio to do precisely what their initial suit warned of: “Training AI models to generate supposedly ‘new’ sound recordings derived from music ingested into their models.” It is not clear yet how much money AFM is asking the court for in monetary damages. A UMG spokesperson stated that UMG worked to strike “responsible AI licensing agreements” with artists in its settlement, and that they were dedicated to protecting artists against “bad actors.”
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