Suno appoints Michael Chua to lead live music integration

Suno has named Michael Chua as its first Vice President and General Manager of Live Experiences. He will lead the integration of Songkick’s concert-discovery platform with its AI music creation ecosystem. Chua joined from Ticketmaster, where he was vice president of global business development and strategic partnerships. His appointment follows a job listing posted by Suno in late April for a General Manager of Songkick. That role was set to report to Chief Music Officer Paul Sinclair, who joined Suno in July, and involved developing a roadmap to connect Songkick's live music data with Suno's artist tools.

How Chua’s Ticketmaster background shapes Suno’s live ambitions

Michael Chua brings over a decade of live music experience from Ticketmaster, a division of Live Nation Entertainment. At Ticketmaster, he built product partnerships with companies like Google, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok. Those partnerships allowed fans to discover events and buy tickets without visiting Ticketmaster's own website or app. This background in expanding fan access beyond traditional ticketing channels will inform his work at Suno. Chua was also named on Variety's list of 10 AAPI Music Executives Making an Impact in 2024.

Suno’s broader platform expansion amid legal challenges

Chua's hiring is part of a wider push by Suno to build a full-stack music platform. The company acquired Songkick as part of a partnership with Warner Music Group last November. It launched its Spark incubator for unsigned artists on June 25. On September 9, Suno launched its v6 AI music models in partnership with Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe. This expansion occurs alongside escalating legal pressure. Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment filed a second copyright lawsuit against Suno in Boston federal court on September 18. The complaint accuses Suno of copying 60,202 of the two companies' sound recordings without a license and claims the v6 model continued unauthorized exploitation. Universal and Sony are also still pursuing their original case from June 2024. Suno said in a statement that the claims 'remain fundamentally flawed on both the facts and the law.'

Paul Sinclair said: "We’re building the first creative entertainment platform, and live music is a pivotal part of that." The live team will focus on improving concert recommendations and helping emerging artists. Suno's platform also includes a streaming arm with editorial curators, a short-form video feed, and AI models that create songs from text, visual, or audio inputs.

Songkick data transition and user impact

Following the acquisition, Songkick users were notified in April that their personal data would be transferred to Suno. On April 30, emails sent by Songkick operator SK Acquisition Ltd confirmed that Suno would become the new data controller. The data included users' account details, as well as their artist and location preferences. Songkick’s discovery platform will be aligned with Suno's platform with the aim of improving concert recommendations.

Suno’s growth and ecosystem moves beyond core AI

Suno has expanded aggressively beyond its core AI music generation. In August, it opened a waitlist for Suno Vinyl, a service that presses user-created songs onto records. A Suno merchandise storefront marked 'Coming soon' was spotted in September. The company raised more than $400 million in June at a $5.4 billion valuation. More than 100 million people have used its platform. Suno's music team includes former leaders from Atlantic Records, Spotify, YouTube, Meta, and major labels, with managers who have worked with artists like Charlie Puth, Usher, and André 3000. Its Spark program offers grants, marketing support, and access to songwriting camps. Suno will connect Songkick’s discovery interface with its music creation platform to improve concert recommendations and help emerging artists.