Universal Music and ElevenLabs Are Building an AI Remix Platform, and Artists Get a Say
The world's largest record label is teaming up with an AI voice company to let fans remix and mashup licensed songs. Artists can opt out, and everyone involved gets paid.
Key points
- Universal Music Group (UMG) announced on 10 September 2026 a multi-year licensing deal with ElevenLabs to build a new AI music creation platform.
- The platform will let users create remixes, mashups, and new versions of songs from UMG's catalog.
- Artists can choose whether or not their music appears on the platform.
- ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski says artists and songwriters will be "fairly compensated" for any use of their work.
- UMG now holds AI music deals with Udio, Spotify, Nvidia, Klay, and ElevenLabs.
Universal Music Group, the record label behind artists from Taylor Swift to Drake, is building a new AI music platform with ElevenLabs, a company specialising in AI-generated voice and music, meaning software that can produce realistic singing and audio from scratch. The Verge first reported the announcement on Thursday.
The deal is a multi-year licensing agreement. In plain terms: UMG gives ElevenLabs legal access to its vast song catalog, and ElevenLabs supplies the AI technology that lets users do something with it.
What will users actually be able to do?
Fans will be able to create remixes, mashups, and fresh takes on existing tracks, all built from officially licensed recordings. Think of it as a creative remix tool with the record label's blessing baked in, rather than the legally grey territory that has tripped up AI music tools in the past.
Critically, participation is opt-in for artists. A musician whose catalog sits inside UMG can choose to keep their work off the platform entirely. That is a meaningful protection in an industry that has spent the past two years fighting over who owns AI-generated sound.
Who pays the artists?
Every use of a song runs through UMG's rights management system, so royalty tracking is built into the structure from day one. ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski put it directly in the announcement: "We'll enable artists and songwriters to create powerful new experiences for their fans, and ensure they are fairly compensated."
How much, and on what schedule, the press release does not say. That is the part worth watching.
The new platform will be separate from ElevenLabs' existing Music API and its ElevenMusic generator, the company's current consumer-facing music tool. It is a standalone product, not a feature bolt-on.
How does this fit the bigger picture?
UMG is moving fast. The label already has AI music agreements with Udio, Spotify, Nvidia, and a company called Klay. Rival label Warner Music Group, together with BMG, just saw AI music startup Suno release its first model trained on their licensed songs.
| Partner | Type of deal | Status |
|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Platform build + licensing | Announced Sep 2026 |
| Udio | AI music platform | In development |
| Spotify | AI licensing | Active |
| Nvidia | AI licensing | Active |
| Klay | AI licensing | Active |
The pattern is clear: major labels are no longer fighting AI music companies in court. They are signing contracts with them.
For the average music fan, this probably means more licensed, artist-approved remix tools coming to market over the next year or two. For working musicians, the opt-in clause matters more than almost anything else in the announcement.
One honest takeaway: If you are a musician signed to a major label, ask your manager or label rep exactly how opt-in and opt-out will work before any platform goes live. The compensation promise is real, but the details are still vague.
