Irving Azoff, MAC Demand ‘Creative Control, Fair Compensation’

Photo Credit: UMG x Udio

The Music Artists Coalition responds to Universal Music Group’s partnership with AI platform Udio, demanding clarity and compensation for creators.

With the ink still drying on Universal Music Group’s unprecedented deal with AI company Udio, Irving Azoff and the Music Artists Coalition (MAC) have issued a statement regarding the partnership.

“Every technological advance offers opportunity, but we have to make sure it doesn’t come at the expense of the people who actually create the music—artists and songwriters,” said Irving Azoff, board member and founder of MAC.

“We’ve seen this before—everyone talks about ‘partnership,’ but artists end up on the sidelines with scraps. Artists must have creative control, fair compensation, and clarity about deals being done based on their catalogs.”

To that end, MAC believes any AI music system must enshrine three core principles:

• Artist consent: The original music creators need meaningful control over if and how their work is used to train AI systems.
• Fair compensation: Artists must share meaningfully in this revenue, with splits that reflect the fundamental value of their creative work.
• Deal and data clarity: Artists need clear visibility into the deals being struck and how their work is being used by the platform.

MAC states that while the organization appreciates the concept of artist opt-in and granular control as promised by UMG and Udio, several fundamental questions must be answered in order to meet the above criteria:

• How do artists actually control what uses they authorize? What happens when multiple songwriters or performers on a single song disagree about participation?
• What percentage of revenue goes to artists versus the label versus the AI company when their music is used to train models or generate new works?
• Was settlement money paid in the deal? How will that be distributed to artists? Will artists’ pay-outs for a new revenue stream just be applied to old unrecouped balances? Will artists see exactly how their work is being used within the AI system and have ongoing visibility into its use?

“Artist opt-in sounds promising, but participation without fair compensation isn’t partnership; it’s just permission,” said Ron Gubitz, MAC’s Executive Director. “Artists create the work that makes these AI systems possible. They deserve both control over how their work is used and appropriate compensation for its value generation.”

“The music industry is at a crossroads,” Gubitz added. “The decisions being made right now will shape how music gets created, distributed, and monetized for decades to come. That’s exactly why MAC exists—to ensure artists have a seat at the table when those decisions are made.”

MAC will continue working with artists and allied organizations to establish clear principles for ethical AI in music creation, advocate for frameworks that protect artists’ rights, and ensure fair compensation.

“We’re cautiously optimistic but insistent on details,” concluded Jordan Bromley, Leader at Manatt Entertainment and board member of MAC. “True partnership requires appropriate oversight and remuneration for all involved parties. The industry needs to get this right—for artists, for fans, and for the future of music itself.”

Meanwhile, the Copyright Alliance, which represents the copyright interests of over two million creators and over 15,000 organizations across the copyright spectrum, has commended UMG on the Udio settlement and subsequent deal.

“This news isn’t just a win for UMG and for its artists and songwriters—it’s a win for everyone in the copyright community,” said Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid. “It reaffirms that generative AI products should—and can—be crafted responsibly and with respect for copyright owners.”

“Direct licensing of copyrighted works for AI training allows for flexible, innovative new consumer offerings and is a clear win-win for creators, America’s copyright industries, AI companies, and the U.S. economy.”

Overall, while the industry remains optimistic about what the future holds, clarity is necessary to fully provide artists with the seat at the negotiating table they deserve as AI integration becomes the new normal.