Udio strengthens DRM protections as Suno pursues a more open AI music strategy

Austin-based digital rights management company BuyDRM recently announced a partnership with Udio, under which the AI music platform will use BuyDRM’s KeyOS MultiKey service to protect the streaming of AI-generated music.

BuyDRM, a subsidiary of French cloud computing company OVHcloud, said its MultiKey offering is designed to provide DRM protection for digital content. The service includes tools that allow content providers to manage access to downloaded material, including the ability to revoke licences under certain circumstances.

The partnership is expected to support Udio as it develops a new subscription-based service following licensing agreements with several major music industry organisations. The platform has reached agreements with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Merlin and the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), among others.

“Security, reliability, and scalability are essential as more people use Udio to create and experience music in entirely new ways,” Udio co-founder and CEO Andrew Sanchez said. “BuyDRM's MultiKey Service provides the flexible and trusted protection we need to support our rapidly growing catalogue of AI-generated music while maintaining a seamless experience for our users.”

The move comes as Udio prepares to relaunch its service under a model that is expected to place greater emphasis on licensed music and controlled access to its platform. The company has faced legal action from major rights holders, including Sony Music, over the use of copyrighted recordings in training its AI systems.

The new approach contrasts with the direction taken by rival platform Suno, which has continued to expand its product offering and is reportedly exploring a developer application programming interface (API) that could allow third-party developers to integrate its AI music-generation technology into other services.

The different strategies reflect broader debates within the music industry over how generative AI platforms should operate and how rights holders should be compensated for the use of copyrighted music. While some companies are seeking licensing agreements and greater control over access to AI-generated content, others are pursuing broader distribution and integration models.

Udio’s revised platform is expected to provide further insight into how AI music companies intend to balance user access, licensing obligations, copyright protection and commercial growth.

The company will also face growing competition from emerging AI music businesses such as Klay Vision, as well as established streaming platforms exploring generative AI tools. Spotify, for example, has been developing AI-related features as the technology becomes increasingly integrated into the music streaming sector.

Both Udio’s updated service and Klay Vision’s platform are expected to launch during the remainder of 2026, although specific release dates have yet to be confirmed.

The developments come at a time when the music industry is still working to establish common standards for AI-generated music, including questions around copyright, licensing, transparency and the labelling of synthetic content. The contrasting strategies of Udio and Suno could offer an indication of how the generative AI music market may develop as platforms move from experimentation towards more established commercial models.