Top 5 AI music news of the week (19th – 25th January 2026)

Here are the Top 5 AI Music News Of The Week.

1. Suno’s CEO compares his AI music app to Ozempic:

• “Everybody is on it and nobody wants to talk about it.”
• He also calls AI music “the next format for recorded music.”
• The company raised $250 million in November at a $2.45 billion valuation. One million paying subscribers now use the platform.
• Major labels continue lawsuits over training data while Warner Music remains Suno’s only licensing deal.

2. ElevenLabs drops AI album featuring Liza Minnelli & Art Garfunkel

• ElevenLabs released “The Eleven Album” featuring Liza Minnelli and Art Garfunkel using AI-generated vocals.
• Participating artists retain full ownership and streaming royalties.
• Critics say tracks sound generic.
• Minnelli’s EDM song bears little resemblance to her theatrical style.

3. Splice now owns Kits AI, the platform behind licensed artist voice models for 7 million users

• Splice acquired Kits AI, a voice platform that processed 80 million minutes of vocals for 7 million users.
• Kits AI introduced the first Licensed Artist Voice Models.
• The deal follows Splice’s $50 million Spitfire Audio buyout and December Universal Music partnership.

4. BeatStars acquires Lemonaide AI to build rights-first music creation tools

• BeatStars bought Lemonaide AI to add generative tools to its marketplace.
• The platform has paid creators over $400 million across 11 million beats.
• Lemonaide trains AI models only with producer consent (e.g. legendary producer Lex Luger)
• Creators who train models keep ownership of outputs.

5. Audiotool launches w/ API that gives AI full control of your DAW in real time

• Audiotool launched Nexus, an API giving AI tools full DAW access.
• External apps read and write every device, MIDI note, and automation curve in real time.
• Developers build composition assistants and mixing analyzers on the free browser-based platform.