Universal Music Group is partnering with IP advisory firm Liquidax Capital to build and license its own portfolio of music-related AI patents, a major strategy change after a year of publicly fighting the technology.
From fighting to filing: The move flips UMG's strategy from purely defensive to offensive. The new game plan is clear: if you can’t beat the technology, own it—and license it.
Building the arsenal: The two companies have already filed 15 patents covering everything from AI threat protection to musical collaboration. They also formed a new entity, Music IP Holdings, Inc., which will be responsible for licensing these technologies to the global market.
A seat at the table: The timing is notable, coming just weeks after a UMG executive warned that in the world of AI, companies without a seat at the table could "wind up on the menu." One approved patent—a 41-page system for creating "AI-generated music derivative works"—reveals just how big a table UMG intends to build.
The new gatekeepers: By moving to build and license the very tools that could reshape music, UMG is ensuring it not only gets a cut from the AI revolution but also helps write the rules. The move into patent licensing is just one piece of UMG's broader AI strategy. The music giant is also putting AI tools directly into its artists' hands, like the MicDrop vocal modeler, while exploring new markets by partnering with companies like Endel to create AI wellness soundscapes. All this is happening as the company's executives work to shape the global conversation around 'ethical AI' at high-profile summits.