Universal and Splice to partner on new “artist-centric” AI music tools

Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with music production platform Splice to jointly develop the “next generation of AI-powered music creation tools for musical artists”.

The collaboration will see the two companies work together to build “commercial AI tools” and “AI-powered virtual instruments”. In a joint statement, they said that the link-up would be “guided by a shared commitment to creative expression and artistic empowerment”.

As part of the agreement, artists on UMG’s roster will be given an active role in helping to shape how the AI tools are developed. This will mean that UMG artists will be able to bring their own sounds directly into Splice’s AI workflows as the development process goes on.

Michael Nash, EVP and chief digital officer at Universal Music Group, said: “We’re excited to form this alliance with Splice to promote the alignment of innovation and ethicality in addressing the interests of the creative community to leverage cutting-edge AI-enabled tools to further their artistic expression. We look forward to partnering with Kakul Srivastava and her team on this critically important strategic technology front.”

Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava, added: “We’ve spent time building AI tools designed to fairly compensate creators and keep them in control. We’re thankful for Universal’s continued support, and excited to work together to put these commercial tools in the hands of artists everywhere, knowing they can trust the end result.”

Earlier this year, Splice announced that it would be integrated into the DAW, Pro Tools.

In April, the music production platform also announced it had acquired virtual instrument company Spitfire Audio for a reported $50 million (USD). That followed the launch of a new feature for its iOS app called Splice Mic.