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Kobalt licenses its publishing catalog to ElevenLabs for the Eleven Music generator

Music publisher Kobalt signed a licensing deal with ElevenLabs as the voice AI company launched its Eleven Music generator. Kobalt says ElevenLabs committed to sourcing data directly from rightsholders.

LONDON, August 5, 2025 Music publisher Kobalt announced a licensing agreement with ElevenLabs on August 5, 2025, as the company launched Eleven Music, its AI music generation tool. Financial terms were not disclosed.1

Terms of the deal

Artists and songwriters represented by Kobalt can take part in developing Eleven Music Pro, a later model due in the coming months. Kobalt says ElevenLabs is committed to sourcing data directly from rightsholders.1 The article reporting the deal discloses no fees, revenue splits or contract length. Participation is a choice for Kobalt writers rather than automatic.

The public record on this agreement is limited to the announcement and the press coverage cited below. The price is listed here as: Undisclosed. The status shown, Announced, reflects the most recent reporting available on October 22, 2026, and any later amendments are not captured.

Background

ElevenLabs, best known for voice AI, entered music generation while Suno and Udio faced copyright suits from the major labels. It announced the Kobalt agreement together with a deal with Merlin, the licensing body for independent labels, which covers recordings. The three major labels had not signed with ElevenLabs at the time of launch.1

What it means for data sellers

Publishers and independents can license ahead of the majors and set terms for the rest of the market. Sellers should ask how much of their catalog is eligible, how participation is chosen and whether better terms given to others will be matched to them.

A seller comparing this deal with its own situation should ask what the buyer actually receives: raw data, a license to train, a license to display, or a right to build a product. Each is priced differently, and the answer should be written into the agreement rather than inferred from a press release.

How the deal came together

  1. Product plan. ElevenLabs planned a text-to-music generator and wanted licensed material to avoid the lawsuits facing rivals.
  2. Rightsholder talks. It reached agreements with Kobalt for publishing and Merlin for recordings.
  3. Launch. Eleven Music launched on August 5, 2025 with both deals announced.
  4. Next model. A later model, Eleven Music Pro, was planned with artists who take part.

Takeaways for companies with data

  • Direct deals with rightsholders give a young product a legal story rivals lack.
  • Participation can be opt-in for each artist, which affects how fast a catalog reaches the buyer.
  • Terms are often disclosed only in part, so sellers should negotiate rate protections such as most favored nation clauses.

Sources

Every numbered reference above points to an entry here. Figures come from these pages as of the date shown at the top of the article. Where a source reports a number it got from unnamed people, the text says so.

  1. Eleven Music, new AI rival to Suno, launches with Merlin and Kobalt licensing deals in the bag (Music Business Worldwide, August 2025)

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About the AI Data Deal Tracker

SellYourAIData tracks publicly reported sales and licenses of data to AI companies, with the price, terms and sources for each. Entries are checked against public reporting and updated as deals change. SellYourAIData was not involved in this deal. To ask what your company's data could sell for, get a free valuation. To report a deal, contact us.