Spotify is trialing a 'Premium Early Access' feature that withholds new album releases from free users for three days in select markets like India and Bangladesh, while paying subscribers get immediate access. The delay reportedly stems from licensing terms pushed by Universal Music Group rather than a decision Spotify made unilaterally, and the same restriction is expected to hit rival ad-supported services like YouTube Music and Amazon Music.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-21
Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group have amended their copyright lawsuit against AI music generator Suno, arguing its newly released v6 models still rely on infringing material. The labels claim Suno's own admission that v6 was trained partly on 'user interactions' with earlier models means it indirectly used previously scraped copyrighted recordings, potentially implicating over 60,000 songs.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-18
Universal Music Group and ElevenLabs unveiled a multi-year licensing agreement and broader partnership to build a new AI-powered music platform, separate from ElevenLabs' existing ElevenMusic tool. The unreleased platform will let fans create remixes, mashups, new track interpretations and personalized vocal experiences using catalog from participating UMG artists, who will be compensated under the deal.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-10
Universal Music Group announced a multi-year licensing deal with ElevenLabs to build an AI-powered platform letting users create remixes and reinterpretations of songs from UMG's catalog. The companies say the partnership will expand over time to include additional AI products and fan experiences beyond the initial platform. This new offering will operate separately from ElevenLabs' existing Music API and ElevenMusic tools.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-10
Stability AI, maker of the Stable Diffusion image generator, closed a $76 million Series B round, pushing its total funding to $232 million. Backers include Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Electronic Arts, AMD Ventures, and Pacific Alliance Ventures. CEO Prem Akkaraju said the funds will support the company's creative production tools and professional services expansion.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-08-25
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