ElevenLabs Ships Music v2.5, Now the Default Model in ElevenMusic
ElevenLabs released Music v2.5 on September 11, 2026, making it the default model for both prompted and reference-based generation in ElevenMusic, ElevenCreative, and the ElevenLabs API.
Details
- Quality-focused upgrade: ElevenLabs says instruments “sound real” and songs now have “more layers, more movement,” holding together better across a full track compared to the prior model
- Blind-test results: in preference testing across 47,885 sample pairs, listeners favored Music v2.5 over its predecessor
- Genre strengths: the model shows particular improvement on vocal-led and acoustic-heavy genres, including R&B, soul, hip hop, rock, metal, and orchestral/cinematic music
- Immediate default: v2.5 is now the default for both prompted generation and reference-based generation, rather than an opt-in preview
- Download terms unchanged: Free-tier users keep 5 lossless downloads per day (with an ElevenMusic commercial-use credit), Pro users get 400 lossless downloads per month, and downloads remain blocked for tracks that reference another artist’s existing song
- Rights framing: ElevenLabs reiterated that permissions granted at a track’s creation persist even if a user later downgrades or cancels their plan
What happened next
The release lands one day after ElevenLabs’ multi-year strategic partnership announcement with Universal Music Group, though the company was explicit that Music v2.5 is a separate, unrelated model update rather than an output of that deal. It continues a rapid cadence of ElevenMusic improvements as ElevenLabs competes directly with Suno and other AI music generators on raw output quality.