theWarner Music Music (WMG) announced Wednesday that it will acquire AI attribution startup Sureel AI. Sureel’s patented technology creates the “AI DNA” of a song, breaks it down into its component parts, and tracks how the AI model uses those elements.
Through this acquisition, WMG aims to better track the work of artists and songwriters when it is used in AI-generated content and training of AI models.
“Bringing Sureel to WMG strengthens our protection, management and monetization capabilities, ensuring the creative community is in control of its intellectual property, name, image, likeness and voice,” WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said in a press release.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2022, Sureel also offers intellectual property provenance, audit and compliance reporting, model optimization, and AI business intelligence. The startup also has a Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) attribute suite that tracks how an artist’s voice, likeness, and performance identity are used in AI training and generation. This includes voice clones, AI-generated avatars, and style duplication.
According to WMG, the startup will continue to operate as a standalone platform serving the broader music and AI ecosystem.
“Rights holders have the right to know how AI affects their works and to have a fair share in the value AI creates,” Sureel founder and CEO Tamei Aykut said in a statement. “Sureel was built to make that possible. With WMG’s support, we can deliver on our mission at scale, build a more transparent and just future, and drive value growth across the music and entertainment ecosystem.”
WMG, which initially sued music generation startup Suno in 2024 and then signed a licensing agreement with the company last year, has embraced AI after initially opposing it. WMG said at the time that artists and songwriters will have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices and songs are used in new AI-generated music.
Notably, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group are still pursuing large-scale copyright infringement claims against AI music startups.
WMG also settled a lawsuit against AI music startup Udio last year, reaching a licensing agreement with the company.
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