Universal Music & NVIDIA Partner on AI Music Discovery
▼ Summary
– Universal Music Group and NVIDIA are collaborating on responsible AI for music, aiming to advance creation, discovery, and artist compensation using NVIDIA’s AI and UMG’s catalog.
– The partnership will extend the NVIDIA Music Flamingo model to process full-length tracks for enhanced music discovery and fan engagement.
– UMG’s CEO and NVIDIA’s VP emphasized a shared commitment to responsible AI that protects artists’ work and ensures proper attribution.
– Landr, an AI music production company, has acquired Reason Studios and will establish an Artist Council, while Reason continues as its own brand.
– Several music industry companies announced executive promotions, including Peermusic, ASCAP, Big Machine Label Group, and True Tickets.
A major new partnership between Universal Music Group (UMG) and NVIDIA aims to reshape how fans find and interact with music through advanced artificial intelligence. The collaboration will focus on developing what the companies call responsible AI tools for music discovery, creation, and engagement. This initiative will leverage NVIDIA’s powerful AI infrastructure and UMG’s extensive catalog to pursue shared goals of advancing human creativity while ensuring artists and rightsholders are properly compensated. The partnership intends to move beyond traditional search and personalization, creating new, more intuitive ways for audiences to connect with music.
Central to this effort is an extension of the NVIDIA Music Flamingo model. This AI system will be trained to process full-length songs, analyzing elements like harmony, structure, timbre, and lyrics to understand a track’s deeper cultural and musical context. The goal is to build a discovery platform that is conversational and genuinely interactive, allowing fans to explore music in entirely new ways. Crucially, the companies emphasize that this technological push will include developing new approaches to protect artists’ intellectual property and ensure proper attribution for all music-based content.
UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge described the alliance as a “ground-breaking strategic relationship” that unites leading forces in technology and music. He highlighted the shared mission to harness AI to dramatically advance the interests of the creative community and the role of music in global culture. Grainge noted the importance of NVIDIA’s commitment to responsible AI principles as a leadership position within the tech industry.
Echoing this sentiment, NVIDIA’s VP/GM of Media, Richard Kerris, stated, “We’re entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe.” He believes that by combining NVIDIA’s AI with UMG’s catalog, they will fundamentally change how fans discover and engage with music on a global scale, all while implementing safeguards to protect artists’ work and respect copyright.
In other industry news, Peermusic has promoted Paul Smelt to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. He will oversee the administration of the company’s publishing and neighboring rights operations from its Amsterdam office, reporting to CEO Mary Megan Peer. Smelt, previously COO of Peermusic Neighbouring Rights, joined the company following its acquisition of Global Master Rights, which he co-founded.
ASCAP has elevated Hayley Dukes to Senior Vice President of Licensing. She will continue to report to Head of Licensing Stephanie Ruyle. Dukes joined ASCAP in 2020, bringing experience from previous roles at AMC Networks and HBO. Ruyle praised Dukes’s deep knowledge of the audiovisual industry as a key asset for driving fair compensation for the organization’s members.
The AI-powered music production platform Landr has acquired Reason Studios, the maker of the iconic Reason Digital Audio Workstation. Reason Studios will continue to operate under its own brand. The companies also plan to establish an Artist Council of producers and longtime Reason users. Landr CEO Pascal Pilon stated the vision is to make Reason and its Rack plugin indispensable tools for every producer, enhanced by LANDR’s suite of creator tools.
Big Machine Label Group has promoted Jay Cruze to National Director of Radio Strategy. He will represent the group’s labels, including Big Machine Records and The Valory Music Co. Cruze joined Big Machine in 2023 from iHeartMedia. Executive Vice President Kris Lamb commended Cruze’s deep understanding of national programming and the strong relationships he has built within the radio industry.
Finally, digital ticket delivery service True Tickets has promoted two executives: Ken Lesnik to Chief Commercial Officer and Kirk Mortensen to Chief Product Officer. Since joining in 2019, Lesnik has been instrumental in forging partnerships with over 100 leading arts organizations worldwide. Mortensen had served as Head of Product since 2022. CEO Matt Zarracina stated that their new roles formally recognize the leadership both have consistently demonstrated.
(Source: Variety)