AI music model maker Suno on Wednesday announced a new model family called Suno v6. The company says it was developed using licensing data from music labels and distributors including Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe.
Suno is facing multiple lawsuits from record labels accusing it of using copyrighted data to train AI models that can generate prompted music. Suno settled with Warner Music Group last year and signed a contract with BMG last month.
The company said Suno v6 was not trained using the data used to train previous versions of the music generation model.
The startup has released three versions of the model. The base Suno v6 model is available to paid users and is said to be reliable and operable for controlled output. Suno v6 wild is an experimental model, available to paid users as well, and intended to be used to generate ideas and obtain unexpected results. Finally, Suno v6 mini is a faster version available to all users. The company plans to discontinue older models.
Suno says the new model lineup offers greater freedom of use. Suno v6 also lets you edit parts of your songs using prompts and lyrics words, and create tracks using text, images, and videos as references. You can separate instruments from samples and use them to create new beats.
The company also said it plans to add new features such as allowing users to remix songs. However, artists can opt-in to a new program Suno is launching in conjunction with music labels that will allow Suno to use their songs for its AI-generated features.
Jack Brody, Suno’s chief product officer, said there will be more revenue-generating opportunities for all stakeholders through derivative works.
“I think the music ecosystem and our partners are always looking for ways to create more revenue opportunities for rights holders and artists, so a big part of this release is to create an additional revenue stream there,” Brody said in an interview with TechCrunch.
Suno announced last month that it plans to add watermarks to songs generated using its platform. We also recently introduced new download limits based on account level.
“We can help manage broader ecosystem challenges such as streaming fraud, mass exports, and low-intent uploads to distributors. At the end of the day, we believe it’s up to distributors and platforms to control what content flows there,” he said.
Suno still faces lawsuits from labels like Sony and Universal Music Group, artists like Jason Isbell, and users who say it ignored security in the name of profit. The model’s announcement comes a day after the company admitted it used YouTube videos to train the model.
Despite the controversy, Suno has raised more than $819 million to date, according to PitchBook data.
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