UMG's AI Strategy: Consent First, New Revenue Next
On Oct. 13, 2025, UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge briefed employees on how the company is moving on generative AI. The memo centers on two goals: protect artists' rights and build new revenue streams from AI-driven products and services.
The company's stance is clear: responsible training data, clear attribution, and consent-based use of artist voices and songs. The strategy pairs principle with deal-making, spanning major platforms and targeted tech partners.
Deals that signal UMG's direction
UMG has been testing commercial models with established platforms and emerging developers to find what scales. The portfolio is widening across creation tools, attribution tech, and discovery experiences.
- Platform agreements: YouTube, TikTok, Meta
- Emerging partners: BandLab, Soundlabs
- Attribution and model partners: ProRata, KLAY
- Protection tech: SoundPatrol (neural fingerprinting to detect copyrighted material; Sony is also partnered)
- Regional initiative: Universal Music Japan x KDDI to build new fan experiences
The memo also points to Spotify's recent integration with ChatGPT as a signal that discovery can move from query to listening inside a monetized environment. For context on music-AI work at scale, see YouTube's Music AI initiatives here.
Consent, compensation, and artist participation
UMG plans to bring AI-enabled products to artists only when training is responsible and attribution is accurate. The company says it will not license any model that uses an artist's voice or generates new songs based on an artist's existing songs without that artist's consent.
Agentic AI - adaptive systems that can handle more complex fan interactions - is a core area of interest. Expect experiments that deepen discovery, personalize engagement, and create incremental revenue for artists and songwriters.
Policy position and platform hygiene
UMG opposes efforts to legalize training on copyrighted catalogs without consent or payment, framing such proposals as unauthorized exploitation of creative property. Executives should expect continued pressure on regulators and sustained industry advocacy.
On distribution, UMG's "Artist-Centric" approach targets stream manipulation, infringement, and "AI slop." Partners have started to deploy controls, and UMG's SoundPatrol agreement adds another layer of detection for AI-generated tracks that incorporate copyrighted works. For broader context on copyright and AI, see the U.S. Copyright Office's AI initiative overview.
What executives should do now
- Adopt a consent-first policy for any AI training or synthetic voice use; make consent and compensation non-negotiable deal terms.
- Stand up attribution, watermarking, and rights-audit workflows before piloting AI features.
- Define ROI for agentic AI pilots: discovery lift, conversion to streams/merch, fan LTV, and support cost reduction.
- Set platform hygiene standards with partners: detection thresholds, takedown SLAs, and revenue clawbacks for fraud.
- Establish an AI vendor matrix: data provenance, model inputs, auditability, consent management, and payout capabilities.
- Coordinate legal, product, and A&R to vet use cases that are both clear on rights and meaningful for fan value.
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Bottom line
UMG is pushing for a market where consent, attribution, and compensation are standard - while actively building AI-driven products that create real revenue for artists. Expect more agreements, tighter platform controls, and controlled experiments with agentic AI as the company scales this strategy.
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