ElevenLabs News 09/10/2026 AI Rating: High

ElevenLabs and Universal Music Group Announce Multi-Year AI Music Partnership

#ElevenLabs#UniversalMusicGroup#MusicAI#Licensing#Partnership

ElevenLabs and Universal Music Group announced a multi-year strategic partnership on September 10, 2026, combining licensing with joint product development — the voice-AI company’s first agreement of this kind with a major music label.

Details

  • New fan-facing platform: the centerpiece is a licensed AI music creation platform where fans can make remixes, mashups, and new interpretations of tracks from participating UMG artists, along with personalized vocal experiences
  • Artist and songwriter tools: beyond the fan platform, ElevenLabs and UMG will jointly develop AI audio products aimed at creators themselves, not just listeners
  • Separate from existing products: the new platform is distinct from ElevenLabs’ existing Music API and ElevenMusic app, suggesting a dedicated licensed product rather than a bolt-on to current offerings
  • Executive framing: UMG chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said “responsible AI can inspire discovery, deepen engagement between artists and fans, and unlock new revenue opportunities for the creative community,” while ElevenLabs cofounder and CEO Mati Staniszewski said the goal is to combine “UMG’s global community and rights management expertise with our AI models and products” so artists and songwriters “are fairly compensated”
  • Stated principles: both companies emphasized building AI music tools responsibly, respecting human artistry, and ensuring creators share in the value the platform generates

What happened next

The announcement did not include a launch date for the fan-facing platform, and neither company detailed specific artists or catalog scope at rollout. It follows a string of major-label AI licensing deals across the industry this year and lands just a day after ElevenLabs’ voice-agent platform updates, underscoring how central music-rights partnerships have become to ElevenLabs’ broader push beyond voice cloning and into licensed generative audio products built with, rather than against, rights holders.

Source https://elevenlabs.io/blog/umg

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