Suno Hires Former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as Chief Commercial Officer

Suno, a generative AI music company, has hired Jeremy Sirota as its new chief commercial officer. In this new role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships and enterprise solutions. He will report to CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman.

This news comes just a few months after Sirota stepped down from his post as CEO of Merlin, an organization that negotiates digital licensing deals on behalf of a network of thousands of independent labels and distributors. During his six years as CEO of Merlin, a press release about his hiring says that Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion. He also inked what is believed to be the first generative AI music licensing deal, alongside Kobalt on the publishing side, with ElevenLabs in September.

In a recent interview with Billboard about his exit from Merlin, Sirota spoke about generative AI.

“When we first started seeing AI come up more and more in conversations, I just knew right then that [generative AI] was going to be a thing,” Sirota said in December. “This was going to be a tsunami. We had to get ready to dance with discomfort.”

Sirota has also previously worked at Meta on its music team, Warner Music Group as a record executive and Morrison Foerster as a technology lawyer. At each, his focus was building partnerships at the intersection of music and technology.

“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” says Shulman. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”

“I have deep respect for music and the role it plays in our lives,” adds Sirota. “What excites me about Suno is the opportunity to shape a future where music becomes more interactive and integrated into people’s daily lives. Throughout my career, I’ve seen and helped navigate pivotal moments when technology redefined the music industry. Each chapter has expanded opportunity in ways few initially imagined. Suno is building new layers of creativity and connectivity that didn’t exist before, and I’m energized to help bring that vision to life alongside the industry.”