AI music hit another industry milestone on Thursday, as Hallwood Media, the independent music company founded by former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson, has announced a record deal with Imoliver, who the company describes as the most-streamed creator on AI music generation platform Suno.
Hallwood bills Imoliver — who is a real human creator, not a virtual artist — as a “music designer” who “uses the AI-powered platform to develop his lush sonic landscapes.” The company is billing its deal with Imoliver as the first-ever for a Suno creator to sign with a record label.
Hallwood said that it would release Imoliver’s song “Stone,” which currently has more than 3 million plays on Suno, on all platforms on August 8. A full album will release on October 24. Hallwood will provide marketing, promotion and artist services, and the company said Imoliver would be releasing a series of new singles over the next few weeks.
“Imoliver represents the future of our medium,” Jacobson said in a statement. “He’s a music designer who stands at the intersection of craftwork and taste. As we share his journey, the world will see the dexterity behind his work and what makes it so special. What he does is exactly why I love music and why we push boundaries at Hallwood.”
As Imoliver added: “Signing with Hallwood is a huge moment, not just for me, but for the future of music. It’s a sign the industry is ready to embrace new ideas and new ways of creating. This isn’t about replacing artists, it’s about expanding what’s possible.”
The deal is particularly notable as the record industry continues to weigh how it handles artificial intelligence. Some have voiced concern that AI poses a “threat to human artistry,” while others have pointed toward its potential to help toe music creation process. Earlier this week, Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, announced a new partnership to accelerate its AI music patents. The major record labels are currently suing Suno and its fellow AI music generation platform Udio, accusing both of massive copyright infringement for using their music content to train their AI models. The AI companies, meanwhile, argue that their models are protected cases of fair use.
“This is a milestone — not just for Oliver, Hallwood and Suno, but for the future of music,” Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said in a statement. “A new creator emerging from a new platform, making new kinds of content, shows that the future of music will be more vast and more inclusive than it is today. The boundaries of artistry are ever expanding.”