Artificial intelligence dominated the discussion at the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting in New York on Wednesday, where the organization announced new licensing arrangements with two AI music companies.
The most significant announcement was a deal with Udio, an AI music-generation platform. NMPA president and CEO David Israelite described it as the music industry’s first broad licensing agreement between publishers and an AI music company. The organization also revealed an agreement with Klay, an AI music startup that lets fans interact with and reshape the music they listen to. Klay had already reached deals with the three major record companies and major music publishers.
Israelite told attendees that both companies had approached the issue in the right way by treating creators as business partners. NMPA member publishers will be able to review the Udio agreement and decide whether to participate. The deal follows Udio’s earlier settlements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, while litigation with Sony Music Group is still ongoing.
Even with the new agreements, Israelite made clear that the NMPA is not stepping back from legal action against AI companies it believes are misusing music. He also warned about AI’s role in streaming fraud and urged platforms and other industry players to confront the problem. To continue the conversation, the NMPA plans to hold an AI Songs Summit in Nashville this September, where publishers can discuss policy and strategy.
The sensitivity around AI was also evident during a keynote conversation between Israelite and Dina Powell McCormick, Meta’s president and vice chair. When the conversation shifted to AI and gender equity, some attendees reacted audibly. McCormick said she had observed that male interns at Meta were more likely than female interns to use AI tools in their work, and she encouraged women to adopt the technology so they are not left behind. When Israelite noted the music industry’s long-running lack of representation for women among songwriters, producers and executives, McCormick suggested that women in music should also make use of AI.
Outside the AI debate, NMPA executive Danielle Aguirre addressed the continued fallout from music streaming bundles. She criticized Spotify and Amazon Music’s practice of combining music with audiobooks, saying the structure has reduced royalty payments to songwriters. According to Aguirre, publishers have lost nearly $500 million because of the strategy. Still, she noted that overall publishing revenue rose to $7.3 billion this year.
The meeting also included honors for several major songwriters and artists. P!nk was among the most prominent honorees and performed stripped-down versions of “Who Knew,” “What About Us” and “Perfect.”
Before performing, P!nk reflected on why songwriting matters to her. She said songs create connection by allowing people to feel someone else’s words as their own. Looking back on her early years in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, she said she did not begin writing music to win awards, but because she had intense emotions she needed to express — emotions she turned into songs and has spent the past 25 years singing into a microphone.
