AI Platform KLAY Signs Licensing Deals With UMG, WMG, Sony for Recorded Music & Publishing Rights
KLAY, an emerging player in the music industry, has recently secured significant AI licensing agreements with the three major music companies: Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music, and Warner Music Group (WMG). This strategic move marks a pivotal step for KLAY as it prepares to launch its subscription-based interactive streaming service in the coming months. While details about KLAY are still limited, insiders have described the platform as a unique space where users can manipulate and interact with music, potentially redefining how listeners engage with their favorite tracks. Initially introduced as a “Large Music Model” in 2024, KLAY aims to assist users in creating new music through AI, showcasing its commitment to innovation in the digital music landscape.
Founded by musicians and industry veterans Ary Attie and Thomas Hesse, KLAY positions itself as a partner to artists rather than a competitor. The company emphasizes its ethical approach in the age of AI, aiming to uplift artists and ensure they are recognized and compensated fairly. In a statement, Attie highlighted the company’s dedication to fostering trust within the artistic community, stating, “Music is human at its core. Its future must be too.” This sentiment resonates with the executives from the major music labels, who have expressed enthusiasm about KLAY’s vision. Michael Nash from UMG praised the company for its commitment to entrepreneurial innovation and ethical practices in generative AI music, while executives from Sony and WMG echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of proper licensing and the protection of artists’ rights.
As KLAY prepares for its launch, it stands at the intersection of technology and creativity, promising to enhance the music experience for fans while supporting the artists who create it. By prioritizing ethical collaboration and innovative solutions, KLAY aims to reshape the future of music consumption and creation, making it an exciting development to watch in the evolving digital music ecosystem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIkeJRRn7D0
KLAY has signed AI licensing deals with the three major music companies — Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music and Warner Music Group (WMG) — on both the recorded music and publishing sides of their businesses.
Little is known about KLAY, which is set to launch “in the coming months,” according to a press release, but one source close to the deal tells
Billboard
the company will be a subscription-based interactive streaming service where users can manipulate music. In 2024, the company made its first licensing announcement with UMG, but back then, the service was described as a “Large Music Model,” dubbed “KLayMM,” which would “help humans create new music with the help of AI.”
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Since its inception, KLAY has stressed its interest in being a partner to the music industry, providing ethical solutions in the AI age, rather than an adversary. As its press release states, “KLAY is not a prompt-based meme generation engine designed to supplant human artists. Rather, it is an entirely new subscription product that will uplift great artists and celebrate their craft. Within KLAY’s system, fans can mold their musical journeys in new ways while ensuring participating artists and songwriters are properly recognized and rewarded.”
The company was founded by
Ary Attie
(a musician and now CEO), and
Thomas Hesse
(former president of global digital business and U.S. sales and distribution at Sony Music and now KLAY’s chief content and commercial officer). The company’s top ranks also include
Björn Winckler
(chief AI officer; former leader of Google DeepMind’s music initiatives), and
Brian Whitman
(chief technology officer; former principal scientist at Spotify and founder of The Echo Nest).
“Technology is shaped by the people behind it and the people who use it. At KLAY, from the beginning, we set out to earn the trust of the artists and songwriters whose work makes all of this possible,” said Attie in a statement. “We will continue to operate with those values, bringing together a growing community to reimagine how music can be shared, enjoyed, and valued. Our goal is simple: to help people experience more of the music they love, in ways that were never possible before — while helping create new value for artists and songwriters. Music is human at its core. Its future must be too.”
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Michael Nash
, executive vp and chief digital officer at UMG, said: “We are very pleased to have concluded a commercial license with KLAYVision, following up on our industry-first strategic collaboration framework agreement announced one year ago. The supportive role we played with the capable and diversified management team of Ary, Thomas, Björn and Brian in the development of their product and business model extends our long-standing commitment to entrepreneurial innovation in the digital music ecosystem. We’re excited about their transformational vision and applaud their commitment to ethicality in Generative AI music, which has been a key foundation of our partnership with them from the very start of their journey.”
Dennis Kooker,
president of global digital business at Sony Music, said: “We are pleased to partner with KLAY Vision to collaborate on new generative AI products. While this is a beginning, we want to work with companies that understand that proper licenses are needed from rightsholders to build next-generation AI music experiences.”
Carletta Higginson
, executive vp and chief digital officer at WMG, said: “Our goal is always to support and elevate the creativity of our artists and songwriters, while fiercely protecting their rights and works. From day one, KLAY has taken the right approach to the rapidly-evolving AI universe by creating a holistic platform that both expands artistic possibilities and preserves the value of music. We appreciate the KLAY team’s work in advancing this technology and guiding these important agreements.”
