ElevenLabs Confirms It Doesn’t Have Major Label Deals In Place—But “We Aren’t Using Their Data”

ElevenLabs has expanded into music creation with the launch of its AI Music Generator. The tool allows users to generate studio-quality music. Tracks created with the generator can include both vocal and instrumentals, all generated in a matter of minutes and cleared for commercial use.

The company has secured licensing agreements with Merlin and Kobalt Music Group—but major deals with UMG, WMG, and Sony are missing. This gap is crucial, as the major labels remain at the center of ongoing legal disputes against AI music generators Suno and Udio. That lawsuit sees the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringing work, which could result in significant financial repercussions for music generators accused of copyright infringement.

But ElevenLabs is hoping to fly above any potential legal action, stating: “currently we aren’t using their data in our model,” ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski confirmed to The Wall Street Journal. “The model is strictly created on data that we have access to.”

Data that ElevenLabs has access to includes those Merlin and Kobalt Music Group deals, but only for rights holders who are 100% owners of their music. Meanwhile, trade organizations like the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) hav expressed apprehension about AI music generators—even if the models are trained on legally permissible material.

“AI can be a tool for innovation, but only if technology companies play fair and respect the rights of human creators,” shares ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “Allowing the unauthorized use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models for commercial purposes will threaten the livelihoods of millions of American music creators and undermine the foundation of this nation’s thriving creative economy.”

ElevenLabs says it has built safeguards to prevent its model from creating songs with artists’ names or specific lyrics from an album or label. In other words, the Drake diss track that featured an AI Tupac would not be possible with this model. The company says it also blocks the creation of lyrics that could be used to incite violence or generate lyrics that are considered obscene or unlawful. The company is instead gearing its music creation tool towards businesses and creators who may need stock music for projects without needing to hire a composer or pay for a restricted-use license from a major label.