International music company BMG has partnered with Suno, the generative AI music creation platform.
The companies announced a global alliance that is part of Suno's upcoming launch of its first music model developed in partnership with the music industry. The deal creates a framework that covers BMG’s recorded and music publishing repertoire.
The companies will develop "new music experiences that reimagine how artists and fans can connect," Suno said in a press release.
The agreement ensures that BMG artists and songwriters who choose to participate will have their rights protected and will be compensated for their music, while also settling Suno's prior use of BMG recordings and publishing works.
BMG Nashville, which operates through the BBR Music
Group, represents a roster of major country music stars.
Artists signed to the label group include Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Dustin Lynch, and Carly Pearce. Developing BMG/BBR artists include Lanie Gardner, Mary Kutter, Alexandra Kay, Drake Milligan and Brooke Eden.
BMG, which was founded in 2008, is the fourth-largest music company in the world. With 16 offices across 13 markets, BMG represents more than three million songs and recordings, including Tina Turner, Paul Simon and Lenny Kravitz.
“The future of AI in music will be defined by whether artists and songwriters remain at the center of the opportunity and share in the value it creates," Celine Joshua, the EVP of global marketing and streaming at BMG, said in a press release.
"Choice is the guiding principle. This agreement establishes strong protections, clear economics, and new creative possibilities for artists and their fans. As we enter the era of creation, we look forward to shaping that future together with our creators and Suno.”
By using Suno AI, which was created in 2022, users can create complete, original songs, including vocals, lyrics and instrumentation, all from simple text prompts.
On Aug. 6, Suno published its updated principles about the creation of AI music, announcing safeguards intended to make Suno-generated music easier to identify.
In a similar vein, Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced a historic licensing deal earlier this year that will allow listeners to use generative AI music models to create remixes within the Spotify app.
In Nashville, Universal Music Group operates under MCA, which manages a massive roster of artists, mostly in the country genre. MCA includes the labels MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville and Lucille Records.
Some of the artists on the company's roster include Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum and Vince Gill. Taylor Swift also releases her music under UMG.
Despite the uptick in AI music deals, a study by Luminate found overall interest in AI music has dropped. According to the 2025 report, music fans are increasingly uneasy with AI-generated songs. The decline is especially notable with younger listeners.
"U.S. consumers are getting more skittish about generative AI being used to either fully or partially create the music they listen to," the study says.
"Overall, U.S. consumers tend to be less interested in engaging with media if it’s been created with the help of generative AI than would be more interested. Greater disinterest holds true across each media type, including music (44% less interested vs. 24% more) and film and TV (43% vs. 24%)."
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com. Follow her on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: BMG and Suno announce AI music deal. What it means for Nashville
