NMPA Inks Deals With Udio & KLAY, Marking First Industry-Wide Licensing Pacts With Major AI Music Firms

At the NMPA's annual meeting, president and CEO David Israelite also warned against streaming fraud threats due to the surge in AI use.

David Israelite speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.

Nick Agrò for NMPA

At the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) annual meeting on Wednesday (June 10), president and CEO David Israelite announced the “first-ever industry-wide AI licensing deals” for publisher members with AI music firms Udio and KLAY, in his words. He also announced the AI Songs Summit, a gathering in Nashville this fall that will bring together songwriters, publishers, streaming services and other stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges of AI.

“Litigating against bad AI actors and licensing good AI partners is not in conflict,” Israelite explained. “NMPA will do both… There has been hesitancy to make mistakes in these early deals, but there has not been any deal offered across the entire market until today.”