Universal Music unveils AI remix platform with ElevenLabs

Key facts

• Universal Music Group and ElevenLabs are building a new AI-powered platform through a multiyear licensing agreement, letting users create remixes, mashups, and new takes on tracks from UMG's catalog.
• UMG announced the partnership on Thursday; individual artists can choose whether their catalog participates in the platform.
• UMG is also developing a separate AI music platform with Udio and holds AI licensing deals with Spotify, Nvidia, and Klay.
• The same week, Suno released its first AI music model trained on licensed songs from Warner Music Group, BMG, and music industry partners.
• ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski said the deal will let artists and songwriters create new fan experiences while being 'fairly compensated'; no pricing, revenue-share terms, or launch date have been disclosed.

Why it matters

This adds another major label and AI company pairing to a fast-growing list. UMG alone is now working with ElevenLabs, developing a separate platform with Udio, and holds AI licensing deals with Spotify, Nvidia, and Klay; in the same week, Suno shipped its first model trained on catalog licensed from Warner Music Group and BMG. Rather than a single label experimenting with a single AI partner, several major labels appear to be licensing their catalogs to multiple AI companies at once, though only this platform has confirmed that participation is opt-in for each artist rather than a blanket rollout. What has actually been announced so far is the agreement and its stated intent, not a working product: the joint statement points to unspecified 'additional products and fan experiences' still to come, beyond the remixes, mashups, and new takes described for this platform.

Who it affects

UMG artists are affected first and individually: each one decides whether their catalog takes part, so the platform's reach will vary artist by artist rather than apply to the whole label at once. Fans and other users stand to gain the platform's stated purpose if it ships: the ability to make remixes, mashups, and new versions of tracks drawn from UMG's catalog, something copyright normally blocks unless a label licenses it first. ElevenLabs adds another major-label partnership to its AI voice and music generation business, one it says will stay separate from its existing Music API and ElevenMusic products. The announcement also sits inside a wider AI music landscape: it lands the same week Suno announced a model trained on catalog from Warner Music Group and BMG, and alongside UMG's own parallel work with Udio, Spotify, Nvidia, and Klay.

How to use it

There is nothing to use yet. UMG and ElevenLabs have announced the partnership and its intent, not a shipped product, and no launch date has been given for the platform itself. No pricing, subscription tier, or revenue-share structure has been disclosed, only ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski's general pledge that artists and songwriters will be fairly compensated. Participation is decided at the artist level: a given artist's music will appear on the platform only if that artist opts in, and no specific artist has yet been named as having agreed.

How solid is it

The account rests on a single source: a joint press release from UMG and ElevenLabs, relayed without independent outside comment or verification. Both direct quotes, the description of the platform's features, and the list of UMG's other AI deals all trace back to that same release rather than to any independent check. The release's own wording points to the gap: it commits to 'additional products and fan experiences' still to be defined, rather than describing a platform that already exists and can be tried.

Risks and caveats

The terms that matter most to artists are left undefined: what 'fairly compensated' means in practice, whether it is a flat fee, a royalty share, or something else, is not stated. No specific artist has been named as agreeing, or declining, to have their catalog included, so there is no way yet to judge how the opt-in mechanism will actually work. The release also does not explain how this ElevenLabs partnership differs technically or commercially from UMG's other AI platform work with Udio or its licensing deals with Spotify, Nvidia, and Klay, so it is unclear whether artists face one opt-in decision covering all of UMG's AI initiatives or a separate one for each.

“By combining UMG's global community and rights management expertise, with our AI models and products, we'll enable artists and songwriters to create powerful new experiences for their fans, and ensure they are fairly compensated”

— Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs CEO