Universal Music Group and music creation platform Splice will jointly develop a roadmap for commercial AI tools intended for use by musical artists. The collaboration is focused on tools designed to provide artists with creative control and to operate within established frameworks for intellectual property protection. The initiative builds on Splice’s existing suite of AI-enabled tools, which are designed to incorporate licensed sounds and creator participation.
The companies said the collaboration aims to combine Universal Music Group’s artist network with Splice’s music creation platform to develop AI tools capable of producing high-fidelity outputs and supporting specific artistic intentions. As part of the partnership, the companies will also explore AI-powered virtual instruments and related tools that would allow artists affiliated with Universal Music Group to integrate their own sounds into Splice’s AI-based workflows. Universal Music Group artists are expected to contribute to the product development process.
Michael Nash, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Universal Music Group, said the company views the collaboration as an effort to align technological development with ethical considerations in support of the creative community. Splice chief executive officer Kakul Srivastava said the company’s AI tools are intended to compensate creators and allow them to retain control over their work, adding that the partnership is aimed at making commercial AI tools available to artists.
In June 2024, Splice joined Universal Music Group and other industry participants as a signatory to the “Principles for Music Creation with AI,” which outline guidelines for the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence in music creation, emphasizing human creative involvement.
