Suno Signs Global Licensing Deal With BMG, the Second Major to Partner With the AI Music Platform
Suno, the AI music generation platform, has signed a global licensing deal with BMG covering the music company's recorded and publishing repertoire — the second significant rightsholder to partner with Suno after Warner Music Group reached its own alliance nine months earlier.
The deal, co-announced on August 12, is described as a strategic framework that establishes a global alliance between the two companies. BMG artists and songwriters who choose to participate will have their rights protected and be compensated for the use of their work, and the agreement settles prior use of BMG recordings and publishing works by Suno's earlier models Music Business Worldwide. The arrangement is opt-in, meaning individual BMG-signed artists and writers decide whether their catalogue is included.
BMG said it is also participating in the creation of Suno's upcoming set of AI models, which are being developed in partnership with the music industry alongside Warner Music Group. Suno's new licensed models, first announced as part of the Warner deal in November 2025, are intended to replace the platform's current models Reuters.
Suno will also restrict the number of downloads subscribers can pull from its platform and disseminate to streaming services, with those limits taking effect in September 2026 Music Business Worldwide. The move addresses a concern that has surfaced repeatedly as AI-generated tracks flood Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms — listeners finding their way to songs with no human author behind them, and those tracks generating streaming royalties with unclear attribution.
The broader picture is split down the middle of the major music group landscape. Warner Music Group settled its copyright lawsuit against Suno in November 2025 by signing the licensing deal, which came the week after Suno raised $250 million in funding Billboard. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group have not followed suit. Both remain parties to an ongoing US lawsuit against Suno alleging widespread copyright infringement in the training of its past models Music Business Worldwide. That litigation is unresolved.
Suno's chief executive, Mikey Shulman, co-founded the company, which lets users generate full songs from text prompts. The platform offers ten free songs per day at no cost and a Pro tier allowing up to 500 custom songs per month with full commercial rights. It ranks among the top ten music apps on both Apple's iOS App Store and Google Play Suno.
Celine Joshua, EVP, Global Marketing & Streaming at BMG, is named in the BMG announcement alongside the strategic alliance. BMG's official news page published the deal under the title "BMG and Suno Announce Global Strategic Alliance Advancing AI Music Opportunities And Revenue Streams" BMG.
For BMG's artists and songwriters, the opt-in structure means the decision to participate — or not — sits with them. For Suno, it adds another rightsholder to a licensing column that now includes two of the music industry's significant catalogues, even as the other two majors pursue their claims in court.
