AI Music News

Google says YouTube uploaders licensed their music for AI training, and asks the court to toss the Lyria lawsuit

• Google asked a court to dismiss the copyright lawsuit independent artists filed over its Lyria music AI model
• The filing argues uploaders granted YouTube and Google a broad licence covering AI training when they accepted the terms of service
• The cited clause grants a worldwide, royalty-free, sub-licensable licence to reproduce uploads and prepare derivative works, extending to all Alphabet affiliates

NMPA signs the first industry-wide AI licensing deals with Udio and Klay, splitting income 50/50 between songs and recordings

• The NMPA announced industry-wide AI licensing deals with Udio and Klay at its 2026 Annual Meeting in New York on June 10
• Both deals split AI licensing income 50/50 between songs and recordings, while streaming pays recordings more than 3 times what songs get
• Independent publishers can opt into the template agreements instead of negotiating with AI companies alone

Warner Music buys Sureel AI, the startup that gives every song an 'AI DNA'

• Warner Music Group is acquiring Sureel AI, whose technology traces how AI models use artists' work in training and generation
• Sureel assigns every work an "AI DNA," breaking it into component parts to track how models reference each element
• Sureel will keep running as a standalone platform serving the whole industry, including rival rights holders and AI companies

Deezer says over 70% of new World Cup 2026 tracks are AI-generated

• Deezer says more than 270 tracks named "World Cup 2026" have been uploaded to its service
• Over 70% of those tracks are tagged as generated with the use of AI
• Deezer's detection system already flags around 60,000 fully AI tracks a day across its catalog

Lucian Grainge compares AI to sampling as he accepts Northeastern's entrepreneur award

• Lucian Grainge likened "responsible AI" to the arrival of sampling at Northeastern University's Global Leadership Summit
• He was named the inaugural recipient of Northeastern's Global Entrepreneur Award on June 4, 2026 at BAFTA in London
• Grainge framed AI as a tool that extends human creativity rather than replacing the appetite for music made by people

Sega brings Tupac into Stranger Than Heaven with estate permission and no AI

• Sega and RGG Studio revealed Tupac Shakur as the character Amaru in Stranger Than Heaven at Summer Game Fest 2026
• The portrayal was built with the permission and ongoing supervision of his estate, Amaru Entertainment, and without AI
• Snoop Dogg and his son Cordell Broadus presented the reveal and play characters, with the game out worldwide on January 15, 2027

Musicians' union sues Universal and Warner for cutting session players out of their Suno and Udio AI deals

• The American Federation of Musicians filed a breach-of-contract suit against Universal Music and Warner Music on June 5, 2026 in New York federal court
• The union says the labels kept Suno and Udio settlement and licensing money without paying the session musicians whose recordings were copied
• The claim rests on the "new use" clause in the AFM's Sound Recording Labor Agreement; the union seeks damages and a ruling that the labels breached it

France's Darcos bill: 227 rights groups press lawmakers to make AI firms prove they didn't train on copyrighted music

• A coalition of 227 CISAC member rights organizations urged France's National Assembly on June 8, 2026 to pass the Darcos bill
• The bill would reverse the burden of proof, forcing AI companies to prove they did not train on copyrighted works
• The French Senate passed it unanimously in April, but the lower house has not scheduled it for debate

Top 5 AI music news of the week (1st – 7th June 2026)

AI music news (Jun 1–7 2026) ✓ Free amp passes for real gear. ✓ AI scores tracks for brands. ✓ UK funding fell to £68.8M. → Read more!

CISAC's Paris Commitment asks policymakers to protect human creativity from AI

• CISAC adopted the Paris Commitment at its General Assembly in Paris on June 4, 2026.
• CISAC is the global network of authors' societies, representing more than 5 million creators.
• The declaration sets four principles covering protection, transparency, collective management, and government action.

H.R. 6028 could reshape who runs the US Copyright Office, and how AI music cases get judged

• H.R. 6028 would remove the US Copyright Office from the supervision of the Library of Congress.
• The Register of Copyrights would become a presidential nominee confirmed by the Senate for a 10-year term.
• The bill landed after the 2025 firing and court-ordered reinstatement of Register Shira Perlmutter.

Protect Working Musicians Act returns, letting indie artists collectively negotiate with AI and streamers

• A coalition of music groups backs reintroducing the Protect Working Musicians Act, championed by Rep. Deborah Ross.
• The bill would let independent artists and labels collectively negotiate with AI companies and streaming services.
• It creates an antitrust exemption so indie musicians can bargain as a group without legal risk.