A report commissioned by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has found that rightsholders across the creative sector entered into 274 commercial artificial intelligence licensing agreements by early 2026, signalling a rapid expansion of AI-related dealmaking.
The study, produced by WPI Economics, was cited by the Featured Artists Coalition in connection with an open letter endorsed by 31 organisations advocating for consent-based approaches to AI licensing and data usage.
Deal Landscape
The agreements span a range of creative fields. While some focus on content identification and rights management technologies, the majority involve generative AI systems trained on copyrighted works.
Examples include partnerships between Sony Music Entertainment and Vermillio, and between Universal Music Group and ProRata.ai. Other deals reference companies such as Spotify, ElevenLabs, BandLab and Splice.
Independent Sector Lags Behind
Despite the surge in licensing activity, engagement among independent music companies remains low. A survey of 31 BPI independent members found that only 16% had begun exploring AI licensing partnerships.
Among medium-sized firms, 25% had completed an AI licensing deal, while just 5% of smaller companies had done so. However, 77% of respondents said they would be willing to license their music for what they consider ethical AI uses.
Consumer Attitudes
The report also examined public sentiment through a survey of 3,000 consumers. It found that 13% had used music-generating AI tools, and 6% had paid for such services.
Among those who paid for AI tools, 65% agreed that economic benefits generated by AI should be shared with creators whose works contributed to training the systems. Support fell to 60% among users of free AI services and to 47% among those who had never used AI tools.
