Universal Music Group Bets on NVIDIA to Fight the 'AI Slop' It Once Sued Over

Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company, is now using NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo model to address the problem of low-quality AI music. Instead of focusing on lawsuits, the company is choosing to work with Silicon Valley.

In 2025, Sir Lucian Grainge called AI-generated music "platform pollution." On January 6, the Universal Music Group CEO announced that the company will use NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo AI model with its entire catalog, from Taylor Swift to The Beatles, to change how billions of fans discover and enjoy music.

This partnership marks a big shift for UMG. Less than two years ago, UMG sued AI music generators Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. After settling with Udio in October 2025, UMG now appears to prefer working with AI technology instead of taking legal action. NVIDIA, worth $4.56 trillion, brings strong computing power. Both companies say their models can handle full tracks up to 15 minutes long, according to NVIDIA.

Music Flamingo is not an AI music generator. NVIDIA calls it a "universal audio-language model" designed to understand existing music, not make new songs. In a November 2025 research paper, NVIDIA says the model "outperforms leading models across 10+ benchmarks" for things like harmony, structure, timbre, lyrics, and "cultural context." These claims have not been independently checked.

"We're entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe: conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive," said Richard Kerris, NVIDIA's VP and GM of Media, in the announcement.

The timing is no accident. According to The Guardian, Warner Music Group has signed a licensing deal with AI song generator Suno after resolving a copyright lawsuit it filed against the company a year earlier. Meanwhile, platforms like Spotify and Apple Music face more pressure from what Grainge called "essentially platform pollution," or the flood of AI-generated tracks that make it harder for human-made music to stand out in recommendations. According to a joint press release from Universal Music Group and NVIDIA, their partnership is designed to create AI tools that support greater originality and authenticity in music, rather than promoting generic AI-generated songs. However, the announcement does not clarify whether UMG artists will have the option to exclude their work from processes involving Music Flamingo. It is also unclear how artists will be paid from AI-driven discovery tools. NVIDIA has not specified whether Music Flamingo’s training data includes copyrighted material beyond Universal Music Group’s catalog. According to a joint announcement, the partnership will utilize both companies’ research resources and gather input from artists, songwriters, labels, and publishers, including through UMG’s studios like Abbey Road and Capitol Studios.

A recent joint announcement says the new partnership also wants to boost fan engagement by making interactions between artists and listeners more interactive. These tools should help artists share their work in new ways and let fans connect with music through emotions and stories. Attribution means making sure creators get credit and payment when AI uses their work. This approach has become the music industry’s preferred compromise between blocking AI completely and allowing it to spread freely.

Music Flamingo’s technical strengths help explain why UMG chose NVIDIA over building its own tools. Being able to process 15-minute tracks is a big step up from the 30- to 60-second limits of older models. The system is said to keep context across whole albums. According to NVIDIA, it can understand not just single songs but also the links between tracks, artistic growth, and "cultural significance."Independent artists and smaller labels are watching this trend carefully. If big labels control the best AI tools for music discovery and analysis, it could change the competition in the industry. The term "ethical AI" might end up meaning that established companies, not new startups, run the technology.

The real test will happen later this year when Music Flamingo is used with UMG’s catalog. Will it help fans discover music in new ways, or just give UMG more ways to increase streaming revenue for its artists? The results could reveal whether what’s touted as a more ethical AI approach can protect artists.