AI music generator Suno has hired Sam Berger, Senior Director of Artist Partnerships, to support its efforts to build relationships with the music industry.
The appointment comes as Suno continues to face copyright infringement lawsuits from major record labels. In mid-2024, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of all three major record companies, sued Suno and rival Udio for “mass infringement” of copyright.
Udio already settled with Universal Music Group in October, followed by Warner Music Group in November, with both music companies signing licensing deals with Udio for an AI music platform due to launch this year.
Meanwhile, in November, Suno also struck a licensing deal with Warner Music, settling litigation between the two companies. However, it continues to face legal action from UMG and Sony Music Entertainment, as well as European collecting societies, including Denmark’s Koda and Germany’s GEMA.
Berger’s appointment arrives six months after Paul Sinclair, who spent over two decades at Warner Music Group (WMG) in various roles, took up the post of Chief Music Officer at Suno.
Berger joins Suno from Patreon, where he led music strategy after founding and leading the music team at Moment House. He previously spent several years on Spotify‘s global artist and label partnerships team and has managed artists including Charlie Puth, Portugal. The Man and Miguel.
At Moment House, Berger worked with artists including Justin Bieber, Tame Impala and Anderson .Paak, selling more than two million tickets across 180 countries before the company was acquired by Patreon.
Berger joins a music team at Suno that includes CJ Smith, who has worked at Snap, Quibi, BeReal and 88rising, and co-founded Encore, a live music platform created with Kid Cudi.
Other team members include Athena Yasaman, formerly of Twitch and Spotify; Leanna Bremond, a former music supervisor at Peloton; Kenneth Herman, who worked in marketing and partnerships at Splice; Elena Louvis, who has consulted for Atlantic Records; and Brianny Aybar, who held A&R positions at Motown Records, Capitol Records and Sony Music.
Berger’s appointment comes weeks after rival Udio began recruiting for a Head of Artist Partnerships position based in Los Angeles or New York, according to a job listing. That role focuses on expanding participation in Udio’s artist platform and negotiating with artists, managers, labels and publishers.
Commenting on his appointment, Berger said in a press release on Thursday (January 29): “We’re at a critical point in time where the future of music is being actively shaped and establishing trust with our industry partners is more important than ever.”
“We’re at a critical point in time where the future of music is being actively shaped and establishing trust with our industry partners is more important than ever.”
Sam Berger, Suno
He added: “Suno is a company that is building alongside artists with real intention, and empowering creatives with the best tools and technology available. I’m excited to be joining this team who have inspired me throughout my career.”
Paul Sinclair, Chief Music Officer at Suno, added: “I’ve known Sam for more than 15 years and he is without a doubt one of the most respected artist and label partners in the industry.”
“We’re thrilled he is joining our growing team as we continue to invest in deepening our relationships with the music industry. Like most of our music team, Sam has spent his career shepherding artists through new technology and has earned a reputation for putting artists and their creative vision first, with a proven track record of bringing to life and scaling new experiences that deepen the relationship between artist and fan.”
“Sam has spent his career shepherding artists through new technology and has earned a reputation for putting artists and their creative vision first, with a proven track record of bringing to life and scaling new experiences that deepen the relationship between artist and fan.”
Paul Sinclair, Suno
Suno said its partnership with Warner Music “is set to open new frontiers in music creation, interaction, and discovery for its millions of users.”
Last fall, Suno launched Suno Studio, which combines multi-track editing with AI-generated audio stems. The company also released v5, an updated version of its music generation model that offers more control over song elements.
In November, Suno closed a $250 million Series C round at a $2.45 billion post-money valuation.Music Business Worldwide
