Universal Music Group (EURONEXT:UMG) and Warner Music are close to agreeing landmark licensing deals with artificial intelligence firms, according to the Financial Times.
The two labels, which control much of the global music catalogue, could finalise agreements within weeks.
Talks are said to involve start-ups including ElevenLabs, Stability AI, Suno, Udio and Klay Vision, alongside larger groups such as Google and Spotify.
The negotiations focus on how songs can be used both to train AI systems and to generate synthetic tracks.
The companies are pushing for a payment model similar to music streaming, where each play triggers a small royalty. The rise of generative AI has already sparked legal battles over the use of copyrighted work without permission.