Suno Launches v6 AI Music Models with Major Label Partners
Suno has globally launched its v6 AI music models, developed with licensed data from partners Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe.
AI music platform Suno launched its v6 suite of models globally on September 9. The company developed the new models with industry partners Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe, according to a blog post by CEO Mikey Shulman.
Suno's previous models will be retired the same day, Chief Product Officer Jack Brody told MBW. The launch represents a shift towards licensed training data, following a copyright lawsuit settlement with Warner Music Group in November 2025 and subsequent deals with BMG and Believe.
Legal Challenges and Licensed Data
The launch occurs amid ongoing legal disputes. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment remain plaintiffs in a copyright infringement case coordinated by the RIAA, filed in Boston in June 2024. The labels filed an amended complaint on August 25, adding a claim that Suno bypassed YouTube's anti-downloading technology.
Suno admitted in a September 1 court filing that "audio data was obtained from YouTube for use as training data using YT-DLP." The company is also facing lawsuits from other entities globally, including GEMA in Germany, Koda in Denmark, SOCAN in Canada, and publisher Round Hill Music in the US. A separate proposed class action was filed by singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and three other artists on September 1.
Jack Brody emphasized that v6 was trained "entirely from scratch, from the ground up." He stated the new models' training data "doesn't include data from Universal [Music Group] or Sony [Music Entertainment]." Brody said the licensed data is managed by the rightsholders, with Warner Music Group having "figured out which music to hand over as part of that process for training."
Model Capabilities and User Data
According to Suno, the v6 generation comprises three distinct models. The company provided the following breakdown of their availability and purpose:
| Model | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| v6 | Pro and Premier subscribers | Flagship model that "consistently delivers polished music across every genre and style." |
| v6-wild | Pro and Premier subscribers | "Built for exploration," described as "less predictable and more varied." |
| v6-mini | Everyone (Free) | "Delivers better, faster results than any free model on any music creation platform." |
Brody explained that improvements come not only from data but from "R&D, the breakthroughs and the technical innovations." He said user preference data, gathered when users choose between two generated song versions, informs model development. Suno's terms of service grant the company a perpetual license over user content and generated output for model improvement.
Partnership Structure and Future Plans
Brody told MBW that from launch day, "a portion of our revenue will be shared with our partners." He described the partnerships as being about establishing collaborations to "build net new product experiences" rather than merely acquiring data. Music from Believe and TuneCore artists will be included, and BMG's catalog has begun being added to the models.
The launch is described as the first of two phases. Mikey Shulman wrote about developing "opt-in experiences built around individual artists, where artists can choose to participate and get paid when they do." Brody said the company's goal is to sign more rightsholder deals.
On ownership, Brody stated that paying subscribers own the music they generate on the platform, and output is considered an original creation. However, Suno's terms of service note that "applicable rights holders may also have the right to collect revenue related to distribution of Outputs on third party platforms." Brody added that ownership nuances would differ for future derivative experiences involving opted-in artists.
Suno has resisted the "walled garden" model adopted by rival Udio, which has licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Kobalt. Spotify is also developing a fan-made covers tool, having struck deals with UMG and Merlin.
