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Merlin licenses independent label recordings to ElevenLabs for Eleven Music

Merlin, which represents independent labels, signed a licensing deal with ElevenLabs for its Eleven Music generator. The company says guardrails were designed with ElevenLabs.

LONDON, August 5, 2025 Merlin, the licensing organization for independent labels, announced a licensing deal with ElevenLabs on August 5, 2025, alongside the launch of Eleven Music. No financial terms were released.1

Terms of the deal

Artists and songwriters represented by Merlin and Kobalt can take part in developing Eleven Music Pro, a later model due in the coming months. Merlin chief executive Jeremy Sirota described the responsible guardrails created with ElevenLabs.1 The report discloses no fees, payments or contract term.

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

The Merlin deal was announced at the same time as a publishing deal with Kobalt. ElevenLabs had previously raised funds at a $3.3 billion valuation in January 2025, according to the report, and the license deals gave the music launch a licensed footing while competitors faced lawsuits.1

What it means for data sellers

Independent catalogs are in demand because large AI companies need licensed audio from many sources. Sellers that join a collective should check how payments are allocated and whether each rightsholder can opt out of specific models.

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. Indie licensing body. Merlin negotiates digital licenses on behalf of independent labels.
  2. ElevenLabs approach. ElevenLabs sought licensed recordings for a music model.
  3. Announcement. The deal was announced with the Eleven Music launch on August 5, 2025.
  4. Participation. Artists and labels represented by Merlin can take part in Eleven Music Pro.

Takeaways for companies with data

  • Collective licensing bodies let small rightsholders license at scale.
  • Guardrails for use are part of the product, not only the price.
  • Data is sometimes licensed in tiers, such as a base model first and a catalog-trained model later.

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.