AI music company Suno has expanded its artist partnerships team with the appointment of Sam Berger.
The music industry veteran built his career managing acts including Charlie Puth, Portugal The Man and Miguel. He also held roles on the music teams at Spotify and Patreon.
In a statement, Suno said the hire marks a continuation of its commitment to deepen its relationships across the music ecosystem, ranging from emerging artists to established global talent.
The appointment comes in the wake of a Warner Music licensing deal – a significant breakthrough for the company following concerns about the impact of AI on the sector.
Suno has been embroiled in legal action, although it is now working with rights-holders as it looks to expand rapidly. Under the terms of the Warner deal, artists will be able to choose to opt in to having their voices and compositions used in generative AI music.
The major label deal also saw Suno agree to improved licensed music-making models – a similar move to that of Udio following its AI licensing agreement with UMG.
In his new role, Berger will focus on developing and scaling partnerships with artists, managers and creative teams, exploring how “AI can thoughtfully support modern music creation”, according to the announcement.
Berger most recently led music strategy at Patreon after founding and leading the music team at Moment House, where he helped build cinematic livestreams, working with artists such as Justin Bieber, Tame Impala and Anderson Paak. Moment sold more than two million tickets across 180 countries, ultimately helping position the company for acquisition by Patreon.
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
“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,” said Paul Sinclair, chief music officer at Suno. “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.”
“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,” said Sam Berger, senior director of artist partnerships. “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.”
Berger joins a team including CJ Smith, who previously held roles at Snap, Quibi, BeReal, 88rising and Encore, the live music platform co-founded by Kid Cudi.
Additional members working on the music team at Suno include Athena Yasaman, who previously worked at Twitch and Spotify; Leanna Bremond, former music supervisor at Peloton; Kenneth Herman, former marketing and partnerships director at Splice; Elena Louvis, an A&R who has consulted at labels including Atlantic Records; and Brianny Aybar, who worked as an A&R at Motown Records, Capitol Records and Sony Music.
Suno recently launched the first-ever generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation. It followed the introduction of Suno’s v5 edition.
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