Musicbusinessworldwide.com
AI music company Suno has expanded its executive team with two high-profile music industry appointments as it continues building relationships with artists and rights holders while facing ongoing copyright litigation.
The company has named former YouTube executive Christian Bowne as Director and Head of Music Business Development, alongside former Atlantic Records marketing executive Grace James, who joins as Vice President and Head of Artist Marketing and Editorial.
Bowne spent 16 years at YouTube, where he played a central role in negotiating music licensing agreements and launching several of the platform’s music initiatives, including subscription services, Shorts and AI-powered music experiments. At Suno, he will oversee licensing strategy and industry partnerships as the company works to deepen its relationships with record labels and music rights organizations.
Meanwhile, James brings nearly two decades of artist marketing experience to the role. Most recently Executive Vice President of Creative Marketing at Atlantic Records, she led campaigns for artists including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, FKA twigs, Lizzo and Alex Warren. Earlier in her career, she held marketing leadership positions at Roc Nation and TIDAL, contributing to campaigns for landmark releases such as Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” Rihanna’s “ANTI” and Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo.”
At Suno, James will oversee artist marketing initiatives while helping expand the company’s recently launched Spark incubator program, which supports independent musicians using the platform.
The appointments continue Suno’s effort to recruit established music executives as it seeks closer ties with the traditional music business. Former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota joined as Chief Commercial Officer earlier this year, while longtime Atlantic Records executive Paul Sinclair now serves as Chief Music Officer. The company also hired former Spotify executive Sam Berger to lead artist partnerships.
The executive expansion follows a period of rapid growth for the AI startup. Suno recently raised more than $400 million in Series D funding at a reported valuation of $5.4 billion, while the company says it has surpassed two million paid subscribers and generates more than $300 million in annual recurring revenue.
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