Universal

In a new partnership with chipmaker Nvidia, Universal Music Group plans to introduce what it calls “responsible AI” that could change music discovery and creation.

The companies will begin research on how to advance human music creation and compensation for rights holders in the age of AI, as revealed in the deal announced Tuesday. With this technology, the new partners say they hope to leverage AI-powered tools to aid and protect artists’ work, instead of using hands-off generative AI.

“We look forward to working closely with NVIDIA to direct AI’s unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans as we work together to set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group’s chief executive, in a press release.

Universal Music Group will use Nvidia’s Music Flamingo program, a large audio-language model designed to understand music in-depth. It was launched in November and can understand musical elements like structure, harmony, instrumentation and lyrics. The program can process songs up to 15 minutes long and will also be able to capture the historical and cultural context, as well as various emotional arcs.

With the program’s ability to process songs thoroughly, Universal Music Group aims to use this tool to help connect artists and fans. Instead of relying on typical genres or tags, Music Flamingo allows listeners to discover new music in a more automated fashion.

There are also plans for Nvidia and Universal Music Group to begin developing an incubator in which artists, songwriters and producers will help design and experiment with new AI tools. The company said it hopes this process will help AI tools fit into creative processes with greater ease.

Universal Music Group, with its corporate headquarters in the Netherlands and another office in Santa Monica, was founded in 1996. The music giant behind artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish is valued at roughly $40 billion on the U.S. stock market, with shares selling around $25.35 each. The deal with Nvidia follows several other AI agreements that Universal has inked with companies like Klay and Stability AI.

Nvidia was founded in 1993, with the original goal of bringing 3D graphics to video games and multimedia projects. As the tech industry has continued to evolve, Nvidia has emerged as the leader in computer chips designed to power AI tools and applications.

“By extending NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo with UMG’s unmatched catalog and creative ecosystem, we’re going to change how fans discover, understand, and engage with music on a global scale,” said Richard Kerris, the general manager for media and entertainment at Nvidia, in a statement.

“And we’ll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists’ work, ensure attribution, and respect copyright.”

Universal Music Group is investing $80 million for a stake in one of India’s biggest Bollywood production companies, Excel Entertainment Pvt.

Universal Music India, a division of Universal Music Group, will acquire a 30% equity interest in the Mumbai-based movie studio. In the deal, announced Monday, the companies will work together on forthcoming films, series, music and emerging formats.

While getting involved in India’s local film industry, Universal Music will also now receive global distribution rights for all future original soundtracks attached to projects produced or owned by Excel. There are also future plans for the companies to launch an Excel-linked music label that will allow UMG and Universal Music India artists to appear in various Excel titles.

The investment underscores the rapid growth in the Indian entertainment industry.

India is the 15th-largest recorded-music market globally.

Founded by producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in 1999, Excel is responsible for making over 40 different films and scripted shows. Its most popular titles include “Dil Chahta Hai,” “Don” and “Talaash.” The company is currently valued at approximately $290 million.

“India’s entertainment landscape continues to grow from strength to strength, and this is the perfect moment to build meaningful global collaborations,” said Sidhwani and Akhtar in a joint statement. “Together, we aim to take culturally rooted stories to the world.”

Universal Music Group, with its corporate headquarters in the Netherlands and another office in Santa Monica, was founded in 1996. The music giant behind artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish is valued at roughly $48 billion on the U.S. stock market, with shares selling around $25.80.

UNIVERSAL has finally been given the green light to open a theme park in the UK.

The famous film studios has been given planning permission to start building the theme park.

A Special Development Order (SDO) has been granted by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which allows the theme park to skip local planning procedures.

This means it will allow it to be built in the suggested location near Bedford.

Expected to start works in January 2026, the park could open as soon as 2031.

It will be the first Universal theme park for both the UK and Europe, with current resorts only across the US and Asia.

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Local Labour MP Mohammad Yasin praised the “landmark moment,” adding: “The confirmation of planning permission for the Universal Destinations & Experiences Entertainment Resort Complex is transformational and will be felt for decades to come.”

Estimated to cost £6.6billion to build, it could attract as many as eight million visitors a year.

Little is currently known about what kind of themed lands and rides would open at the UK Universal.

Rumours suggest James Bond, Paddington and Lord of the Rings, Minions, Jurassic World, and Back to the Future.

It is unlikely to include Harry Potter due to licensing rules and the nearby Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction in the nearby Leavesden.

Set across 662 acres, there will be four ‘zones’; the Core Zone, Lake Zone, West Gateway Zone and the East Gateway Zone.

The Core Zone is likely to be the entrance area, as well as where the theme park and waterpark will be.

Plans also include a 500-room hotel.

More accommodation and business hotels will be at the Lake Zone, as well as an entertainment complex ans convention centre.

Then both the West Gateway Zone and the East Gateway Zone will be where guests arrive by train and car, with restaurants and hotels.

This is also like to be where the Entry Plaza area will be, as well as the parking and a 500-room hotel.

The park is expected to stay open all year round, unlike other UK theme parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park which only open on select dates like Christmas and New Year.

Not only that but it would have much longer opening hours, suggested to be 7am to 11pm.

It will also have a free-to-visit area where guests won’t need a ticket to enter.

Also included in the theme park plans are a new train station to cope with demand.

The new station would be part of the East West Rail (EWR) line, with train links to Oxford to Cambridge via Milton Keynes and Bedford.

In the mean time The Sun’s  Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski visited Universal’s huge new £7bn theme park this summer.

Universal Destinations & Experiences/Comcast

‘James Bond and Paddington’