Lucian Grainge draws UMG's AI line: opt-in, human artists, no 'AI slop'

Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge called artist opt-in protections for AI “critical” on May 21, 2026, closing Britain’s GREATER Together trade mission in Los Angeles. He spoke in conversation with Ankler Media’s Janice Min, hours after UMG signed a deal that lets fans make AI covers and remixes of songs from participating artists.

His message was narrow and firm. “Name and likeness, voice are all opt in,” Grainge said of the deal. “They’re critical.”

Opt-in is the whole pitch

Grainge framed consent as the line UMG will not cross. The Spotify covers and remixes tool will launch as a paid add-on for Premium subscribers, with participating artists sharing the revenue. The agreements cover both recorded music and publishing.

He tied it to a longer view of platform deals, going back to meeting Spotify’s Daniel Ek in 2006. “We make deals that are win win,” he said. “And the people who you can’t make deals with are never going to respect the business, or the creativity, or the investment.” He named no one, but UMG still has no deal with Suno, the AI generator UMG and Sony are fighting in court.

Then he drew a second line. Grainge brushed off AI “functional music,” the ambient and utility tracks UMG has elsewhere called “AI slop”. “People talk to me about, you know, what is AI slop, what is spa music? It’s functional stuff,” he said.

“

I'm not in the functional music industry.

He cast AI as a tool for human artists, not a stand-in for them. “We care deeply about investing in human beings and their ideas,” he said, “their rhythms and their melodies. And AI will be a tool to help them.”

What it means for independent artists

The opt-in principle is the right one. The catch is who controls the switch. UMG can opt its roster in or out of a Spotify deal because UMG holds the rights and sits at the table. An independent artist whose voice gets cloned has no major label negotiating that protection on their behalf.

UMG’s recent TikTok takedown deal shows the same pattern: firm protection for catalog the majors control, thinner cover for everyone else. If you release on your own, opt-in is a principle you still have to enforce yourself.