WMG Announces Acquisition of Sureel AI

Warner Music Group (WMG) has officially acquired Sureel AI, the startup ensuring artists are properly credited and compensated when their work is used with AI. Sureel’s main function is creating “AI DNA” for songs to trace their use in AI models or AI-generated products.

How it works:

• The AI DNA breaks down recordings into different components and tracks how those components are used within AI models.

• On top of this function, Sureel offers various services to assist artists, songwriters, and rightsholders as AI becomes more ubiquitous.

• Services include “intellectual property provenance, audit and compliance reporting, model optimization, AI business intelligence, and a growing NIL (name, image, and likeness) attribution suite.”

• The NIL attribution suite can track how these elements are used for AI training and generation, such as within voice clones and avatars.

Background:

• While WMG will own Sureel, Sureel will be available as a standalone platform.

• The acquisition will provide WMG’s resources and strategic support.

What they said:

• Robert Kyncl, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Music Group: “AI powers a large fan engagement and value creation opportunity for our industry, while making the human provenance of music more important than ever. Bringing Sureel into WMG strengthens our capability for protection, control, and monetization and ensures that the creative community remains in control of its intellectual property, name, image, likeness, and voice. We look forward to working with Tamay and his team to advance all of their incredible work.”

• Dr. Tamay Aykut, Chief Executive Officer + Founder, Sureel AI: “Rightsholders deserve to know how AI interacts with their work, and to share fairly in the value it creates. Sureel was built to make that possible, and with WMG’s backing, we can deliver on our mission at scale, building a more transparent and fair future and driving value growth for the whole music and entertainment ecosystem.”