AI music service Udio announced a licensing agreement with independent publisher Kobalt on April 9, 2026. Kobalt's catalogue will be used to train the subscription platform Udio is rebuilding, which is due later in the year and is meant to let users make covers, remixes and new songs with the voices and compositions of artists and writers who choose to opt in. Those who take part are to be credited and paid, and the two companies describe the arrangement as a route to new revenue for Kobalt's songwriters and artists.
The agreement is Udio's fourth significant licence since October 2025, when it settled Universal Music Group's copyright claims. Warner Music Group followed in November 2025 and Merlin, which licenses on behalf of independent labels and distributors, in January 2026. Sony Music is now the only major without a deal, and its share of the 2024 RIAA-led infringement suit against Udio is still being fought.
Kobalt's chief executive Laurent Hubert framed the deal as both protection and new income for the writers and artists the company represents, while Udio co-founder Andrew Sanchez said the goal was to widen what people can make with AI while respecting and paying rights holders. Udio also promised additional safeguards for artists and songwriters before its relaunch.
Music Business Worldwide contrasts Udio's path with Suno's. Udio accepted the "walled garden" approach Universal favours, where AI tracks cannot be downloaded or sent to other services; Suno resisted it, and Universal has cited that as a reason no settlement was reached. Warner's November deal with Suno let downloads continue and promised licensed models in 2026, which had not yet appeared when Suno shipped v5.5 in late March, an update MBW believes still rests on the earlier, unlicensed foundation apart from the Warner material.
For Kobalt this is a second AI licence after its August 2025 agreement with ElevenLabs' music product. The publisher, which Primary Wave agreed in March to buy from Francisco Partners, says it administers more than a million songs and typically accounts for over a third of the top 100 songs and albums in the US and UK, with clients ranging from Max Martin, Karol G and Stevie Nicks to Phoebe Bridgers and Paul McCartney.
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