The deal pairs licensing with product development and will launch a fan-facing AI music platform built on participating artists’ work.
Universal Music Group has signed a multi-year licensing agreement and strategic collaboration with ElevenLabs, a deal that pushes the AI audio company deeper into the music business and gives UMG another seat at the table as generative tools move from experiment to product.
The companies say the partnership is a first for ElevenLabs with a major label. It combines licensing with product development and is built around a new AI-powered music platform that will be launched by ElevenLabs. The platform is intended to let fans create remixes, mashups and new interpretations of tracks from participating artists, along with personalized vocal experiences.
A licensing deal built around participation
The agreement is not framed as a simple content license. UMG and ElevenLabs say they will jointly develop AI audio products for artists and songwriters, with the stated goal of building tools that respect human artistry and share value with the people whose work is used.
That matters. A lot of AI music talk has centered on what technology can do. This deal is about who gets paid, who gets permission, and who gets to decide how their work is used. UMG is making clear that any AI music innovation it supports has to be tied to rights management and artist participation, not just technical capability.
ElevenLabs said the relationship will start with a platform built on licensed music and artist participation. The company said the service is now in development and will be offered separately from its existing music products.
What the new platform is meant to do
The planned platform is aimed at fans, not just developers. According to ElevenLabs, it will open up new ways to co-create with music from participating artists and songwriters. That includes remixes, mashups, new track interpretations and personalized vocal experiences.
The companies also said the agreement covers additional products and fan experiences that will be developed over the coming months and years. No launch date was announced.
For UMG, the pitch is familiar but strategically important: use AI to deepen engagement, create new revenue opportunities and keep artists and songwriters inside the value chain. For ElevenLabs, the deal gives the company a major-label partner and a chance to position itself as a serious player in licensed music AI rather than a general-purpose audio tool looking in from the outside.
Grainge and Staniszewski frame the deal
Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said the most promising AI music opportunities are the ones that put artists, songwriters and fans at the center. He said UMG and ElevenLabs agree that responsible AI can inspire discovery, deepen engagement between artists and fans, and unlock new revenue opportunities for the creative community.
Mati Staniszewski, cofounder and CEO of ElevenLabs, said AI opens up “incredible possibilities” for interacting with music and artists. He said the company’s AI models and products, combined with UMG’s global community and rights management expertise, will help artists and songwriters create new fan experiences and ensure they are fairly compensated.
The partnership lands at a moment when labels, publishers and technology companies are under pressure to define the rules for AI-generated music before the market does it for them. UMG is signaling that it wants those rules written through licensed deals and controlled product launches, not through open-ended scraping and after-the-fact disputes.
ElevenLabs said the new platform will be distinct from its current music offerings, including Music API, which it describes as studio-grade music models available via API, and ElevenMusic, its app for generating and editing original songs. The UMG deal gives those ambitions a more specific commercial lane: licensed music, artist participation and a product built for fans who want to do more than just listen.
That is where the real test begins.
