The world's largest music company, Universal Music Group (UMG), is undergoing a major transformation in its artificial intelligence strategy, shifting from a previous "hardline confrontation" to a model of "legal control and strategic cooperation." A landmark move in this shift is its recent signing of two significant agreements with two generative AI companies, Udio and Stability AI, signaling UMG's attempt to establish a new music ecosystem in the AI wave that can both protect copyrights and unleash innovative potential.

According to The Wall Street Journal, UMG has reached a settlement with the AI music startup Udio over previous copyright disputes. UMG had previously sued Udio and its competitor Suno, accusing them of using copyrighted songs without authorization to train AI models. As part of the settlement, Udio will launch a new subscription service allowing users to remix or create new works based on licensed tracks. The core principle of this service is "controlled creation": only music that has been explicitly authorized by artists can be used for AI generation, and all generated content must be completed within the Udio platform. Artists will earn revenue from their works being used for model training and user creation. Michael Nash, UMG's Chief Digital Officer, stated that this collaboration allows fans to engage with music creation in a new way while ensuring creators' rights are respected.

At the same time, UMG also announced a strategic partnership with Stability AI, aiming to develop professional creative tools for artists and producers. Stability AI is known for its audio generation model Stable Audio. This collaboration will use authorized data to "responsibly" train models, providing musicians with controlled and safe AI creative assistance. Both parties plan to directly collaborate with UMG's artists to create customized AI tools to optimize their creative processes. Nash emphasized that UMG will only partner with AI companies that are transparent and compliant in terms of data sources and model training, with the goal of ensuring that artists have ultimate control over how their music and likenesses are used in AI systems.

Through these two collaborations, UMG demonstrates a strategic shift from "defensive litigation" to "actively shaping the future of AI music." This not only signifies a new stage in the relationship between the music industry and generative AI but also marks a redefinition of the balance between copyright and innovation.