The deal covers participating Believe and TuneCore repertoire and marks a sharp turn from April, when Believe was blocking Suno-made tracks.
Believe has struck a global partnership with Suno, a notable reversal just over four months after it began blocking tracks made on the AI music platform from distribution.
A fast turn from block to licensing
The agreement, announced Tuesday, covers “participating repertoire” from Believe and TuneCore, the self-release platform owned by Believe. The companies said the deal is global and gives artists and labels the option to opt in to new licensed music products they will build together.
Under the partnership, music from participating Believe and TuneCore artists and labels will be included in Suno’s new music models being launched with industry partners. Tracks created by artists using Suno’s new industry partner model will also be eligible for distribution through Believe and TuneCore.
The announcement is limited to output from Suno’s new industry partner model. It does not cover tracks made on Suno’s existing models, which the company has said will be retired when the new models launch.
Believe said the arrangement gives participating artists compensation, rights protection, and access to Suno’s training protections, transparency tools and download limits.
Why Believe changed its stance
Believe’s move stands in direct contrast to its April 30 policy, when it began automatically blocking distribution of tracks made on unlicensed platforms, including Suno. At the time, Believe’s chief executive Denis Ladegaillerie said the company had deployed Gen-AI detection tools that were “99% reliable” and could identify the model and platform behind a given track.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Ladegaillerie framed the new deal as part of a longer shift in how the company wants to handle AI. “For 20 years, we have been helping artists and labels reach their full potential, and increasingly that means working with new technology like AI, while ensuring that responsible innovation translates into greater opportunities and value-generation for artists,” he said.
He added that the Suno partnership for Believe and TuneCore “unlocks powerful tools for all artists and labels” and gives them “a meaningful choice over how they can participate, protect their rights and enables them to share the value created by innovative responsible AI technologies.”
Suno keeps building its industry roster
For Suno, the Believe deal extends a licensing push that already includes Warner Music Group and BMG. Warner settled its copyright lawsuit against Suno in November 2025 in what the companies described as a first-of-its-kind partnership, and the deal also included Suno’s acquisition of concert-discovery platform Songkick from WMG.
BMG followed on August 12 with what it called a global alliance covering recorded and publishing repertoire, resolving Suno’s past use of the company’s recordings and songs.
Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the company and Believe share a goal of supporting independent artists at every stage of their careers. He said the partnership will expand opportunities for independent artists by giving them creative tools, new distribution paths through Believe and TuneCore, and more exposure.
Shulman said Suno has been “laying the foundation for the next generation of Suno,” including stronger safeguards, more industry partnerships and feedback from artists testing upcoming models. He said the companies are working on product experiences that will give artists new ways to earn and deepen fan connections.
The legal pressure is still there
The Believe deal does not change Suno’s legal exposure elsewhere. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment remain in litigation against the company in the U.S., alleging copyright infringement in the training of its earlier models.
On August 25, the labels filed an amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, adding a claim that Suno circumvented a technological measure controlling access to recordings on YouTube. In a separate order on August 18, District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV denied the labels’ bid to add 61,026 recordings to the 560 already in suit.
Elsewhere in the same court, four musicians — Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth and Eduardo Calle — filed a proposed class action against Suno on August 31, claiming the platform captures and monetizes musicians’ names, voices and identities under state right-of-publicity laws.
Believe’s April announcement also confirmed licensing deals with two other Gen-AI companies, ElevenLabs and Udio. The Suno agreement now puts one of the most closely watched AI music platforms inside a major distributor’s licensed ecosystem, even as the litigation around its earlier models continues to move in court.
