UMG Settles with Udio, Plans 2026 AI Music Launch

UMG and Udio made a deal to work together on a licensed AI music platform. This ends UMG's part in the big copyright lawsuit it started last year with Sony and Warner against Udio.

UMG had accused Udio and Suno of copying songs without permission to train their music-making AI. The lawsuit claimed it was happening on a huge scale. Now UMG has dropped the case after getting a settlement and a licensing agreement from Udio. Sony and Warner are still going after Udio and Suno in court.

The deal lets Udio use UMG's music and publishing catalog under license. UMG says this opens up a new way for it and its artists to make money. The licensing now covers not just music recordings but full songs too. UMG artists and writers who opt in will get paid both for the AI training and what the tool makes.

Udio's current model will stay online for now but users can't export tracks (confirmed, there's no downloading any more).

Everything stays in what they call a "walled garden" while the switch to the new system happens. Songs made with it will be fingerprinted and filtered.

The new platform drops in 2026. UMG artists can choose to join. It'll run on newer AI tech trained only on licensed songs. The service is designed for fans to play around with music safely. Users can remix, tweak tempo, or swap voices using vocals from artists who allow it. But again, no exporting – everything stays inside Udio.

This is UMG's biggest move in AI music so far. They've also teamed up with other AI music outfits like KLAY, SoundLabs and Pro-Rada. More deals are expected soon.

Udio's CEO said this partnership helps bring AI and the music world together in a way that backs artists. UMG’s CEO said the company wants to do right by its artists and writers by trying new tech, new setups and new ways to make money.

Udio’s Reddit Explodes After Download Lockdown

When Udio’s team announced users couldn’t download their own songs, chaos hit the subreddit. The thread turned into a full-blown revolt.

Even the official post by u/UdioAdam, trying to calm things down with promises of “downloads post-transition,” did nothing to stop the outrage.

“Jesus fucking Christ, this ain’t a partnership, it’s a corporate muzzle wrapped in PR glitter,” wrote u/Helldog00. Others echoed the same anger, calling the move “corporate colonization of creativity.”

People who spent months and money on the app felt robbed. “You can’t even download your own goddamn songs anymore. Let that sink in,” said one user. Dozens announced cancellations. Some even started organizing a class action under a new subreddit, r/UdioClassAction.

Many compared it to past corporate flops. “Guess you guys didn’t learn from Wizards of the Coast — don’t fuck over your user base!!” said u/Teredia.

The main mood? Betrayal. Longtime subscribers like u/Historical_Ad_481 said it felt “like breaking up with a partner.” Others called it “robbery” and accused Udio of yanking away what people had already paid for.

A few still held out hope the feature might return. But most agreed: without downloads, Udio’s dead. “The ability to download was the whole point. You are done. Finished. Bye bye,” said u/KingCPAinAspic.

Some saw deeper issues too. “This isn’t protecting artists,” one user wrote, “it’s protecting lawyers.” Others said this marks the moment AI music shifted from creative freedom to corporate control.

As u/Salty_Chemical_3883 put it, “They could offer me $1000 and I’d still not resubscribe after this deceit.”

Meanwhile, Suno’s name popped up often — as both refuge and warning. “Time to learn Suno, I guess,” one person wrote. Another said, “They’re gonna come for us too.”

Suno Users Are Watching Closely And Getting Ready

Udio’s deal with UMG shut down downloads, and AI music creators aren’t happy. Now Suno fans on Reddit are wondering if their favorite AI music app could be next.

“If Suno does that I’ll cancel my sub immediately,” wrote @jfcarr. That same tone echoes across the thread. People are backing up their songs fast, some using desktop apps, others pulling WAVs and stems before any policy changes hit. “Already started,” said @SeminaryStudentARH.

One user joked they play their Suno tracks “loud af in my car,” while another said it drives everyone insane — “That’s the beauty of it lol.” But underneath the humor sits real frustration. Folks don’t trust that their work will stay accessible.

Others point out this might just be business. “It would depend on the buyers intent, business get bought just to eliminate competition,” wrote @artificalidiot. The speculation? That Suno could face similar legal pressure to restrict or even halt downloads, especially if big record labels keep tightening control.

Yet not everyone’s panicking. Some remind that Suno’s API works differently, and full lockouts would make it “useless if no downloads on either.” Others say open-source AI tools will thrive regardless. “They can try, but people decide with their wallets,” said @alien-reject.

Closing thoughts.

I used Udio a while ago, and it was the first platform that introduced me to AI music. I’d been a paid subscriber for a couple of months. Then I discovered that Suno and Riffusion (now Producer AI) seemed to have even better music models, so I switched to those. I’ve got some songs downloaded, some not - I’m not stressing over it. I always knew about the lawsuit and how shaky the ground was for these platforms.

I do enjoy making my own music. I was never a big listener of “real” music anyway. I’m too picky and don’t feel like spending time digging through tracks to build a collection. Even with artists I tend to like, I don’t enjoy most of their songs.

For me, AI music is more of a creative side experiment, a quick way to make lots of instrumental background stuff for work or tracks to go with my AI videos. We’ll see what happens once the dust settles, but I really hope there’s still a way to generate music you like. I hope it can live alongside real creative artists, the kind who still fill up venues.

Meanwhile, there's also open-source, it's constantly evolving. Qwen CEO said this week on Twitter they have a music model (open source) coming soon. Existing already - Ace-Step.

Update: UDIO Allows Downloads During a 48-Hour Window

As per later announcement, downloads open for 48 hours starting Monday 11am ET.
You can grab songs made, changed or extended before 9pm ET on Oct 29.

Subscribers get bulk downloads and WAV files.
Free users can download MP3s one by one.

They say there’s enough server space for it.
The old terms still apply, so you can use the songs like before. No watermarks or tracking.

They’re behind on support so it could take a few days.
If you ask, they’ll refund part of your annual sub or last month’s monthly sub.

Meanwhile users still furious and these are the kind of tracks trending on Udio's platform:

This 48 hour decision doesn't really make sense. If the cutoff time is based on the TOS change from Wednesday night, then what’s the deal with the 48-hour limit? Why not just let people download anything made before 9am Wednesday and call it a day?

The way it works now just hurts users. Someone could be tied up, on a trip, or stuck in a hospital, totally unaware of the change... then boom, they miss the window and lose access to their stuff. It feels random and kinda pointless.

If stuff made before the change is still allowed, then it should stay that way. No exceptions. And if there has to be a time limit, fine... but make it something that actually gives people time. Think weeks. Months would be better. But 48 hours? That’s way too short.

Unless it's just done to lower the possibility of a class-action lawsuit without letting too many downloads happen. This way many of the most active, engaged, invested users will just download their stuff and shut up. Kind of letting off a bit of steam to avoid a larger explosion? Sad to see.

Last modified 31 October 2025 at 23:57