Universal Music Group announced a strategic partnership with AI startup Klay Vision on October 28, aiming to develop an AI music model that respects copyright and artist rights while exploring new creative possibilities.
The deal puts significant industry expertise behind the project. Klay Vision brings together Thomas Hesse, former President of Global Digital Business and US Sales & Distribution at Sony Music Entertainment, Björn Winckler, who led the development of Lyria at Google DeepMind and will join as Head of Research, and Matt Avent, former Tech Lead of the Speech, Audio, and Music Intelligence (SAMI) initiative at Bytedance.
While UMG continues its legal battles against AI companies like Anthropic, Suno, and Udio over unauthorized use of copyrighted material, this partnership signals a shift toward controlled AI integration. Klay Vision promises its technology “will not compete with artists’ catalogs in traditional music services.”
“KLAY’s obsession is not just to showcase its research innovation but to make it invisible and mission-critical to people’s daily lives,” said Klay Vision founder and CEO Ary Attie, boldly claiming that “the next Beatles will play with KLAY.”
The company plans to launch its KLayMM large music model in the coming months, focusing on accurate attribution and new monetization opportunities for artists. This partnership could set new standards for how AI companies and major labels collaborate, as the music industry grapples with balancing innovation and artist protection.
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