Universal Music Group has unveiled a collaboration with Nvidia to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation and engagement.
The partnership will combine Nvidia AI’s infrastructure and UMG’s music catalogue comprising millions of tracks.
“UMG is collaborating with Nvidia to enrich and enhance the music experience of the billions of music consumers worldwide who enjoy the world’s most popular form of entertainment,” said a statement. “Nvidia and UMG will undertake collaborative research and development to promote shared objectives of advancing human music creation and rightsholder compensation.”
The companies will explore new avenues to “enrich music experiences by utilising AI to elevate discovery, engagement and consumption” beyond existing constructs of search and personalisation. In addition, they will pursue new approaches to leverage AI in order to protect artists’ work and ensure proper attribution of music-based content.
The agreement covers the following areas:
– Music Discovery: Nvidia and UMG are extending the NVIDIA Music Flamingo model to transform how fans discover music. By interpreting the deeper layers of each track, Music Flamingo enables listeners to explore music beyond traditional tags or genres.
– Fan Engagement: These technologies help unlock interactive experiences that allow artists to connect with audiences beyond conventional playlists or search. For artists, Music Flamingo provides tools to help analyse, describe and share their music. For fans, it aids discovery including greater opportunities for new artists.
– Creation tools for new artists: Nvidia and UMG will establish a dedicated artist incubator to bring together artists, songwriters and producers to co-design and test new AI-powered tools.
Sir Lucian Grainge, UMG’s chairman and CEO, said: “We’re excited to establish this ground-breaking strategic relationship which unites the world’s leading technology company with the world’s leading music company in a shared mission to harness revolutionary AI technology to dramatically advance the interests of the creative community and the role of music in global culture.
“We eagerly embrace the opportunities that AI presents, and the fact that Nvidia is choosing to take a leadership position in the tech industry in their commitment to responsible AI principles is critically important. We look forward to working closely with Nvidia to direct AI’s unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans as we work together to set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity.”
We look forward to working closely with Nvidia to direct AI’s unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans
Sir Lucian Grainge
UMG’s Music & Advanced Machine Learning Lab (MAML) previously trained its models using Nvidia’s AI infrastructure.
The collaboration will employ both companies’ research capabilities, establishing creative laboratories with input from artists, songwriters, music labels and publishers, as well as UMG’s Abbey Road Studios in London and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. In addition, UMG will use Nvidia AI infrastructure in the development of responsibly trained AI-driven business and creative processes.
Throughout the collaboration, Nvidia will work with UMG and its artists to obtain in-depth feedback on product development. The major said it will help “empower established artists to engage with their fans in deeper, more interactive ways, while also providing emerging artists with unprecedented opportunities to be discovered and connect with new audiences worldwide”.
“We’re entering an era where a music catalogue can be explored like an intelligent universe – conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive”, said Richard Kerris, Nvidia VP/GM of media. “By extending Nvidia’s Music Flamingo with UMG’s unmatched catalogue and creative ecosystem, we’re going to change how fans discover, understand, and engage with music on a global scale. And we’ll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists’ work, ensure attribution, and respect copyright.”
FOLLOW 
