Twelve months ago, AI music was a curiosity. Something you showed your friends at a party. A novelty. Today, AI-generated artists are getting record deals, AI songs have charted on Billboard, and over 30% of all new music on Deezer is AI-generated. The industry didn't just change — it split in two.
This is the full picture of where AI music stands right now, what happened to get here, and where it's going next.
THE YEAR AI MUSIC WENT MAINSTREAM
2025 was the inflection point. AI music stopped being a tech story and became a music industry story. The lawsuits filed by major labels against Suno and Udio in 2024 didn't kill the platforms — they accelerated them into legitimacy. By the end of 2025, those lawsuits were turning into licensing deals.
Warner Music Group signed a partnership with Suno. Udio struck a deal with Universal Music Group, pivoting from full song generation toward fan remixing tools. ElevenLabs launched Eleven Music with licensing deals from Kobalt and Merlin, splitting royalties equally between publishers and rights holders. For the first time, AI music platforms and the traditional industry started building together rather than fighting.
The conversation moved from "Should AI music exist?" to "How do we structure the economics?" Labels realized that blocking AI was impossible — participating in it was the only play.
THE TOOLS: WHERE THEY ARE NOW
The three dominant AI music platforms have each carved out distinct territory.
Suno remains the most popular. Version 4.5 brought 8-minute tracks, dramatically improved vocals, and genre mashups that actually work. Suno raised $250M at a $2.45B valuation and launched Suno Studio — a full generative audio workstation. Their v5, now rolling out, pushes audio fidelity even further with intelligent composition and tighter creative control. With features like Add Vocals, Add Instrumentals, and Personas, Suno is evolving from a "type and generate" tool into a genuine creative platform.
Udio has pivoted. After their UMG deal, Udio is focusing less on generating songs from scratch and more on enabling fans to remix, mash up, and reimagine existing licensed music. It's a different play — less creator-centric, more fan-engagement focused. Sound quality remains excellent, especially for electronic and experimental genres.
ElevenLabs entered the AI music space in 2025 with Eleven Music, initially trained on production music. Their unique angle is vocal quality — they've built the most realistic AI voices in the industry — and their copyright-cleared output model. Every track is commercially usable from day one, which makes them the go-to for content creators who need music without legal risk.
Want to hear the best tracks made on each platform? Browse our community-rated collection and judge for yourself.
A TIMELINE OF THE KEY MOMENTS
THE CHART QUESTION: CAN AI MUSIC COMPETE?
Yes — it already is. AI artist Xania Monet secured a multi-million dollar record deal. "Walk My Walk" by Breaking Rust, an AI-generated track, topped smaller Billboard charts. These aren't isolated incidents anymore. There's a growing category of "proudly AI" artists who are transparent about their process and building genuine fanbases.
But the backlash is real too. iHeartRadio explicitly banned AI music with synthetic vocalists from its airwaves. Deezer has been the most aggressive at flagging AI-generated content. The industry is splitting into two camps: those who embrace AI as a creative tool and those who see it as a threat to be contained.
THE FLOOD PROBLEM
Here's the uncomfortable truth: over 30% of all new music uploaded to Deezer is now AI-generated. Most of it isn't good. The barrier to creating a song dropped to zero, and the predictable happened — volume exploded while average quality dropped.
This creates a discovery problem. How do listeners find the genuinely great AI tracks buried under an avalanche of mediocre ones? This is exactly why platforms like VoteMyAI exist — community curation through ratings ensures that quality rises to the top, regardless of when a track was uploaded or who made it.
When anyone can make music, the bottleneck shifts from creation to discovery. The platforms that help listeners find great music — whether through algorithms, human curation, or community ratings — will define the next era.
WHAT'S NEXT: 2026 AND BEYOND
Several trends are converging that will shape the rest of 2026:
Licensed models replace scraped ones. Suno has committed to retiring its current model (trained on unlicensed data) and replacing it with one trained entirely on licensed material. This will be the template for the industry. The quality question is whether ethically sourced models can match the output of their predecessors.
Fan remixing becomes a product category. Spotify, Udio, and others are building tools for fans to remix and interact with music they love. This isn't generation from scratch — it's AI-powered engagement with existing catalogs. Expect this to be huge.
Transparency standards emerge. More platforms will follow Deezer's lead in tagging AI-generated content. Fans will demand to know whether what they're listening to was made by a human, an AI, or both. The artists who are transparent will build more trust.
The tools get better — fast. Suno v5 is already showing what's possible with tighter creative control, better audio fidelity, and DAW-like editing. The gap between "AI-generated" and "professionally produced" is closing every month.
THE BOTTOM LINE
AI music isn't coming. It's here. It has record deals, licensing partnerships, chart positions, and millions of listeners. The question is no longer whether AI will be part of the music industry — it's whether you'll be part of the conversation.
If you're making music with AI, the best thing you can do right now is share it, get feedback, and improve. The creators who are iterating today will be the ones who define this space tomorrow.
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