ElevenLabs will launch a new AI-powered music platform for fans under the deal, with the two companies also jointly developing AI audio products for artists and songwriters.
It is ElevenLabs‘ first agreement with a major music company, according to the two firms.
ElevenLabs was valued at USD$11 billion in a $500 million Series D round announced in February, as MBW reported at the time.
That is more than double the $5.4 billion valuation Suno reached in June, via its own $400 million Series D.
The UMG x ElevenLabs platform is currently in development, and according to a press release, will “give fans new ways to co-create with music from participating artists and songwriters.”
This will cover remixes and mashups, “new track interpretations”, and “personalized vocal experiences”, the companies said on Thursday (September 10).
The agreement also takes in further products and fan experiences “in the months and years to come”, according to UMG and ElevenLabs.
Credit: Austin Hargrave
“ElevenLabs’ leadership in AI audio brings a new dimension to our growing ecosystem of partners committed to expanding what’s creatively and commercially possible for human artistry.”
“The most exciting possibilities for AI and music are those that put artists, songwriters, and fans at the center,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group.
“UMG and ElevenLabs are aligned that responsible AI can inspire discovery, deepen engagement between artists and fans, and unlock new revenue opportunities for the creative community.
“ElevenLabs’ leadership in AI audio brings a new dimension to our growing ecosystem of partners committed to expanding what’s creatively and commercially possible for human artistry.”
Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder and CEO of ElevenLabs, said: “AI opens up incredible possibilities for interacting with our favorite music and artists.
“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.”
The new UMG-affiliated platform will run separately from ElevenLabs‘ existing music products.
“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
Those are Music API, which supplies the company’s music models to businesses and developers, and ElevenMusic, its app for generating and editing original songs.
ElevenLabs launched ElevenMusic in August 2025, alongside licensing agreements with Merlin and publisher Kobalt.
It has since added a deal with Believe, and said in April that more than 4,000 independent and emerging artists were using the platform.
ElevenLabs’ Series D was led by Sequoia Capital, with Andreessen Horowitz and ICONIQ increasing their existing stakes.
ElevenLabs says employees at two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies use its products, which span voice and audio models, creative tools, and conversational agents in more than 70 languages.
Developers at Meta, Epic Games, and Salesforce use its voice infrastructure, while Deutsche Telekom, Revolut, and the Ukrainian Government run its voice agents.
Staniszewski said in February that ElevenLabs was building toward an IPO.
Founded in 2022 by Staniszewski and CTO Piotr Dąbkowski, the company is headquartered in London and New York.
Suno Chief Product Officer Jack Brody has confirmed that the data used to train those models does not include recordings from UMG or Sony Music Entertainment.
Both companies remain plaintiffs in the RIAA-coordinated copyright case against Suno filed in Boston in June 2024.
For UMG, the ElevenLabs deal adds to a run of AI agreements that began with the settlement of its lawsuit against Udio in October 2025.
Most recently, Universal joined Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group in investing in Stability AI.
The company said in November 2025 that Matthew McConaughey, an investor in the business, was using its technology to produce a Spanish-language audio edition of his newsletter, Lyrics of Livin’, in his own voice.
Michael Caine licensed his voice to ElevenLabs‘ Iconic Marketplace at the same time, joining more than 25 figures whose voices companies can request approval to use.
Staniszewski called that AI voice marketplace “a true breakthrough for ethical sourcing and licensing of celebrity content” at its launch.
ElevenLabs has also faced claims that it used voices without permission.
It settled a suit in Delaware federal court in November 2025 brought by voice actors Karissa Vacker and Mark Boyett, who alleged the company had cloned their voices to create default options on its platform.
A class action filed in Illinois federal court on May 11 by a group of journalists and voice workers, which alleges ElevenLabs extracted biometric voiceprints from recordings without notice or consent, remains live.Music Business Worldwide
