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Entertainment·The Trace·Model-prefilled trace·Published 2026-07-20

licensing musicians' voices and catalogs to generative AI music platforms for royalty-based generation and remixing

Source article: Musicians must embrace ‘unstoppable force’ of AI, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart urges

The Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart has said artificial intelligence is an “unstoppable force”, and musicians and other artists should bow to the inevitable and license their music to generative AI platforms. These platforms use artificial intelligence to analyse existing songs and tracks, using that knowledge to generate completely new ones as prompted by a user. For example, someone could ask the AI platform to generate a song about a boozy night out in the style of a Britpop band, and it would draw on song…

TRV-2026-0336JournalismPermanent record — cite & verify
Trace impact reading

Contested: both sides are scored from claims and sources, not community votes.

P 55The P score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded problem claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.G 54The G score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded gain claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.
Musicians must embrace ‘unstoppable force’ of AI, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart urges

Publisher image: The Guardian.

The quick read

On 5 December 2025, The Guardian reported Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart urging musicians to license their voices and skills to generative AI platforms, as Universal partnered with Udio and Warner with Suno to allow user-generated music based on label artists. Stewart launched Rare Entity with Dom Joseph and Rich Britton to fund creative ventures without taking underlying intellectual property.

The development matters because it shifts music industry economics from piracy and streaming disputes to AI training and generation rights, with opt-in royalties presented as a potential income stream but also a warning that work could be taken anyway. Uncertainty remains about how many artists will opt in, how royalties will be calculated, and whether new artist-owned structures can counterbalance major label control.

Main points
  • Universal and Warner have partnered with AI platforms Udio and Suno to let users generate music based on signed artists or remix existing songs.
  • Dave Stewart launched Rare Entity with entrepreneurs Dom Joseph and Rich Britton to fund creative projects without taking underlying intellectual property.
  • Stewart cited a 2002 gathering in the boardroom of Deutsche Bank in New York with Lou Reed, Stevie Wonder and Dr Dre to discuss artists taking control after the internet.
Gain

Musicians licensing their voice and catalogs to generative AI platforms like Udio and Suno can receive royalties and retain control through opt-in deals.

Problem

Generative AI platforms that analyse existing songs to generate new tracks risk taking musicians' voices and work without permission, leaving artists at the bottom of corporate structures.

The rundown

The piece describes how platforms like Udio and Suno work by analysing existing songs and tracks to generate completely new ones from a user prompt, such as a song about a boozy night out in the style of a Britpop band.

Stewart frames AI as an unstoppable force and forecasts a disintegration of giant corporations controlling their artists, while positioning Rare Entity as offering financial support and a share in earnings rather than ownership of intellectual property.

What this doesn’t fix

The royalty model described depends on artists opting in, and the source notes control remains uncertain as AI adoption accelerates.

Sources

Reader signal

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The debate