Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine
Suno has announced the appointment of Paul Sinclair as its inaugural Chief Music Officer. The move comes as the AI company is navigating rapid growth and ongoing legal challenges with the world’s largest music labels.
Paul Sinclair most recently served as General Manager and Executive Vice President at Atlantic Records, where he led a team of more than 250 professionals across commercial, innovation, creative, marketing, data insights, and operational strategy. Sinclair spearheaded the label’s digital strategy and innovation initiatives, overseeing business development, new revenue models, digital and mobile marketing, e-commerce, and online content development.
He previously joined Warner Music Group (WMG) in 2001 as Director of Digital Properties before moving over to Atlantic in 2006. Beyond his work with major labels, Sinclair also played a pivotal role in the strategic sale of Audeze, a high-end headphone company to Sony PlayStation.
Suno’s appointment of Sinclair comes as the company faces billion-dollar copyright lawsuits from Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music Group (WMG), and Sony Music Entertainment. The major labels allege that Suno trained its AI models on copyrighted material without proper authorization—sparking a high-profile legal confrontation.
Despite the ongoing lawsuits, all three major labels are reportedly in active negotiations with Suno to license portions of their catalog. Proposed deals include licensing fees and minority equity stakes for the labels, in exchange for allowing Suno to use their music for AI model training. These talks aim to establish frameworks for compensation, attribution, and greater label control over how works are used in AI-generated content.
“I am so excited that Paul is joining Suno as Chief Music Officer. The unique perspective he brings to music and technology and his incredible optimism about the future of music will be invaluable as we embark on the next chapter of the Suno adventure.,” Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said about the transition.
“This role isn’t just about the music we make, it’s also about the healthy music ecosystem that we help to build. How we connect the past with what’s to come. How we foster experimentation. How we imagine the future of music in a world where AI will be one of many tools in the creative process, empowering artists and enabling more people to experience the joy of creating songs,” adds Paul Sinclair.
