Universal Music Group Announces New Partnership with NVIDIA for Music Discovery

Universal Music Group (UMG) and NVIDIA, the major tech company that’s been heavily investing in AI, will collaborate on new methods and programs to support artists and fans. The partnership will use UMG's catalog and NVIDIA's AI technology.

How it works:

• The two companies presented three main areas of the partnership:

• “Revolutionizing Music Discovery”

• “Enhancing Fan Engagement”

• “Empowering Artists with Creation Tools”

• The first two involve NVIDIA’s large audio-language model, Music Flamingo.

• The function utilizes AI to categorize songs by qualities beyond standard genres or factual information, such as artist name, album name, etc.

• UMG will integrate its catalog into Music Flamingo.

• Fans using Music Flamingo can search by elements like timbre, lyrics, and cultural context.

• Conversely, artists will be able to describe their music in new ways with Music Flamingo, opening new avenues for discovery.

• In terms of empowering artists, UMG and NVIDIA are taking the step of directly including artists in the development of new tools.

• UMG will open “creative laboratories” in major studios such as Abbey Road and Capitol Studios, where artists can provide input to UMG and NVIDIA personnel on how tools should function.

• Both companies will pool their research and development capabilities.

What they said:

• Sir Lucian Grainge, UMG's Chairman and CEO: "We're excited to establish this ground-breaking strategic relationship, which unites the world's leading technology company with the world's leading music company in a shared mission to harness revolutionary AI technology to dramatically advance the interests of the creative community and the role of music in global culture. We eagerly embrace the opportunities that AI presents, and the fact that NVIDIA is choosing to take a leadership position in the tech industry in their commitment to responsible AI principles is critically important. We look forward to working closely with NVIDIA to direct AI's unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans as we work together to set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity."

• Richard Kerris, NVIDIA VP/GM of Media: "We're entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe — conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive. By extending NVIDIA's Music Flamingo with UMG's unmatched catalog and creative ecosystem, we're going to change how fans discover, understand, and engage with music on a global scale. And we'll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists' work, ensure attribution, and respect copyright."