MCNA Demands Transparency in UMG-Udio Deal, AI Settlements and Licensing Agreements

CIAM partner alliance Music Creators North America (MCNA) has released a statement demanding greater protections and transparency from AI settlements and licensing agreements. MCNA joins US Music Artists Coalition (MAC), UK Council of Music Makers (CMM) and creators advocacy groups.

The statement comes following the announced settlement between Universal Music Group and Udio. Several terms of this settlement have not been disclosed. Without public disclosure of the terms, MCNA and advocacy groups are “renewing our demand that music publishers, record companies and generative AI systems adhere fully to transparency, disclosure and creator-consent standards in the context of privately negotiated generative AI (GenAI) licensing agreements.”

Public endorsements by music industry sources have raised concerns of this settlement. According to MCNA, “The litigants and their supporters apparently believe that since the settlement will purportedly require the opt-in consent of creators to make them subject to the agreed upon future licensing terms, full transparency at present remains unnecessary. We wholeheartedly disagree, and remain apprehensive that such blind endorsements are evidence of an aggressive, market-pressure strategy by the litigants to cut off public discussion of the deal’s less advantageous aspects for songwriters, composers and artists while the opportunity for such creators to have meaningful input still exists.”

Read the full statement, including goals set by the National Music Council of the United States (NMC), for important details and concerns put forth by MCNA. Additional details can be found on Digital Music News and Complete Music Update.