Believe partners with Suno months after blocking AI-generated music

Announced on 8 September, the agreement covers participating repertoire from Believe and TuneCore, its platform for independent artists. Under the arrangement, participating artists and labels will be able to opt into new licensed music products being developed by the two companies.

Music created by artists using Suno’s new industry partner model will also be eligible for distribution through Believe and TuneCore. The companies said the arrangement applies to the new model and does not cover music generated using Suno’s existing models, which the company has said will be retired when the new models are introduced.

Artists who opt into the programme will be compensated for the use of their music, while the companies said their rights would be protected. Participants will also receive the benefit of Suno’s training protections, transparency measures and limits on downloads.

“For 20 years, we have been helping artists and labels reach their full potential, and increasingly that means working with new technology like AI, while ensuring that responsible innovation translates into greater opportunities and value-generation for artists,” Believe founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie said.

“The partnership we worked on with Suno for Believe and TuneCore unlocks powerful tools for all artists and labels. It now gives them a meaningful choice over how they can participate, protect their rights and enables them to share the value created by innovative responsible AI technologies.”

Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the partnership would give independent artists access to new creative and distribution options.

“We have always shared a common goal with Believe to support independent artists at all stages of their careers. This partnership will significantly expand opportunities for independent artists, giving them access to creative tools, new paths to distribute their music through Believe and TuneCore, and more exposure,” Shulman said.

He added: “We’ve been laying the foundation for the next generation of Suno, strengthening our safeguards, expanding our industry partnerships, and learning from artists testing our upcoming music models.”

The agreement represents a change in Believe’s position towards Suno. On 30 April, Believe and TuneCore said they would automatically block the distribution of AI-generated tracks created partly or entirely using unlicensed AI platforms. Suno was among the services covered by the policy.

At the time, Ladegaillerie said Believe had introduced generative AI detection technology that the company considered 99% reliable for identifying the model and platform used to create a track.

“Two or three months ago, everyone still thought Suno, and some of the other still-unlicensed studios, might yet get licensed [by the industry’s biggest rights-holders],” Ladegaillerie told Music Business Worldwide in April.

“The reality now is it’s unlikely, at least for the models they’ve already trained on. Which means the Gen-AI content made on those models is illegal, and is going to stay illegal, for the foreseeable future,” he said at the time.

Believe’s April policy also covered other AI platforms, although the company said it had licensing arrangements with ElevenLabs and Udio.

Suno has subsequently reached agreements with other major rights-holders. Warner Music Group settled its copyright lawsuit against the company in November 2025 and entered into a partnership that included plans for new licensed music products. BMG announced a global licensing agreement with Suno on 12 August 2026 covering its recorded music and publishing repertoire, as well as past use of BMG-controlled recordings and songs.

The Believe agreement comes as Suno continues to face legal challenges over the use of copyrighted music to train its earlier AI models.

Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment remain involved in litigation against Suno in the United States. The labels allege that the company used copyrighted recordings to train its models without permission. An amended complaint filed in August added allegations concerning the circumvention of technological measures used to control access to recordings on YouTube.

Suno has also faced legal action in Europe. A Munich Regional Court ruled in July that the company had infringed copyright in a case brought by German collecting society GEMA. The first-instance ruling is not final, and Suno has said it disagrees with the decision and is considering an appeal.

Cases brought by Denmark’s Koda and Canada’s SOCAN are also pending. SOCAN filed a claim in the Federal Court of Canada on 2 September, alleging that Suno infringed copyright through its use and distribution of music in Canada.

The legal disputes have emerged alongside Suno’s rapid growth. The company raised more than US$400 million in June 2026 at a reported valuation of $5.4 billion and has said that more than 100 million people have used its platform.

Suno also introduced new download limits for some subscribers in September. Pro users are limited to 20 song downloads a month, while Premier subscribers can download up to 60. Suno Studio users are not subject to the same limit.

The Believe partnership therefore marks a shift from the company’s earlier decision to block Suno-generated music, while limiting its scope to the platform’s forthcoming industry partner model and artists and labels that choose to participate.