By RNN Newsroom

Suno says it has retained some sound recordings used to train its artificial-intelligence models, citing a demand from Universal Music Group and Sony Music’s labels to preserve training datasets before their original lawsuit.

The statement appears in Suno’s October 20, 2026 answer to the labels’ second Massachusetts federal copyright case, UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-14275-FDS. Suno denies liability and asserts fair use. The answer is a party filing, not a court ruling.

In paragraphs 49 and 63, Suno acknowledges that it has not deleted all recordings used for training. It characterizes that retention as consistent with the plaintiffs’ earlier preservation demand. RNN reviewed the answer; the underlying preservation correspondence was not independently reviewed for this report.

Suno also describes its v6 training inputs as licensed partner content, community creations and preference signals, and its team’s accumulated learning.

What remains disputed

The labels’ September 18 complaint alleges unauthorized copying involving 60,202 sound recordings. It challenges v6’s relationship to earlier models, alleging that earlier models’ outputs and learned behavior carried unauthorized copying into the newer system. The complaint separately alleges circumvention of technological access controls through YouTube stream-ripping.

Those are the labels’ allegations. Retaining recordings does not, by itself, establish that Suno continues to train on them or that their retention constitutes infringement. Likewise, a claimed preservation demand does not resolve whether the original acquisition or training use was lawful.

Why radio and music producers should watch

The business question is whether newer licensing arrangements resolve disputes over how earlier models were built. This filing provides no judicial clearance of v6 or individual generated tracks. Training-data copying, retention, alleged output infringement and access-control circumvention remain distinct issues.

Related RNN coverage: UMG and Sony Seek DistroKid’s AI-Track and Royalty Data in Suno Copyright Fight.

Primary sources: Suno’s October 20 answer, Document 11, particularly paragraphs 49 and 63 and its first affirmative defense; the labels’ September 18 complaint. Court-filed documents hosted by Music Business Worldwide.

This report was prepared with AI assistance and checked against the cited filings. General information, not legal advice.