The deal
Universal Music Group and ElevenLabs announced a multi-year licensing agreement on 10 September, beginning with an AI music-creation platform that will let fans remix and reinterpret songs from participating artists. It is ElevenLabs’ first agreement with a major label, the two companies said, and it also covers AI audio products for artists and songwriters that they will develop together.
The platform is in development, will be launched by ElevenLabs, and is built on licensed music and artist participation. The companies said the agreement also includes additional products and fan experiences “in the months and years to come”.
What fans would be able to do
According to the announcement, fans will be able to co-create with music from participating artists and songwriters through remixes and mashups, new interpretations of tracks, and “personalized vocal experiences”. The companies did not explain what the last of those means in practice.
The platform will be separate from ElevenLabs’ existing music products: the Music API, which sells the company’s music models to businesses and developers, and ElevenMusic, its app for generating and editing original songs. ElevenMusic launched in August 2025 alongside licensing deals with the independent-label body Merlin and the publisher Kobalt.
“The most exciting possibilities for AI and music are those that put artists, songwriters, and fans at the center,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, UMG’s chairman and chief executive. Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs’ co-founder and chief executive, said that combining UMG’s rights management expertise with ElevenLabs’ models would let artists and songwriters “create powerful new experiences for their fans, and ensure they are fairly compensated.”
What was not disclosed
The announcement leaves out the parts that decide whether the deal matters to musicians. There are no financial terms, no launch date and no list of participating artists. The companies say artists and songwriters should “share in the value created”, but not how.
Music Ally noted that the split between recordings and publishing on the new platform has not been confirmed. ElevenMusic, by contrast, committed to paying labels and publishers equal royalties under its Kobalt and Merlin agreements. Because the platform draws only on music from artists and songwriters who choose to take part, the size of the catalogue is also an open question until UMG says who has signed up.
Where it fits in UMG’s AI deals
For UMG, the ElevenLabs agreement adds to a run of AI deals that began when it settled its lawsuit against Udio in October 2025, Music Business Worldwide reported; most recently it joined Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group in investing in Stability AI. Music Ally lists similar fan-remix plans with Udio, a covers-and-remixes tool with Spotify and an interactive listening platform with Klay Vision.
The timing also puts ElevenLabs next to Suno. The deal came a day after Suno launched its v6 models, which Suno says it developed with Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe. Suno has confirmed that the training data does not include UMG or Sony recordings, and both labels remain plaintiffs in the RIAA-coordinated copyright case against Suno filed in June 2024, according to MBW. The same report notes that ElevenLabs raised $500 million at an $11 billion valuation in February, more than twice the $5.4 billion valuation Suno reached in June.
What to watch
The first concrete signals will be a launch date and the first named artists. Music Ally points out that several licensed remix services could arrive at roughly the same time, and that the real tests are whether enough artists opt in and whether fans are willing to pay for the experience.
