Davis Polk partner and IP & Commercial Transactions practice co-head Frank Azzopardi was quoted in MLex discussing generative AI music licensing agreements.

The article highlighted that top music companies have signed music and publishing licensing agreements that will allow users to create AI-generated covers and remixes of works from participating artists and songwriters.

Discussing the reasoning behind the licensing agreement, Frank said, “the deal is a novel way to expand revenue from an existing catalogue and draw more users to the online music platform.”

He noted that the company “must have identified this as under-utilized, because I’m sure they licensed [the music] to all the karaoke places already.” 

Frank also explained that the deal allows the company to stand out from competitors by offering a novel service, drawing more users for longer periods of time, to “monetize the platform even more,” Frank said.

“You can see how an asset that is being essentially dormant or underutilized can create tremendous value for the content provider, but also tremendous value for the distributor,” he added.

“IP licensing and business: May 22-June 4,” MLex (June 4, 2026) (subscription required)

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