<\/p>\n
\n\tSuno<\/a> on Thursday unveiled a new incubator program for artists, \u201cSpark,\u201d\u00a0that it says is designed to allow artists to receive grants, mentorship and distribution opportunities for their work.<\/p>\n \n\tThe program \u2014\u00a0which is open to unsigned singers, songwriters and producers 18 and older \u2013\u00a0will give the selected individuals grants ranging in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, additional funds for marketing, invitations to Suno\u2019s songwriting camps and the opportunity for feedback on their work. Artists will retain the creative and commercial rights over the work created through the program, and they can choose who distributes their work.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAgain and again, emerging artists tell us the same thing: they need more than tools. They need support, exposure, and new ways to turn their creativity into opportunity,\u201d\u00a0Suno\u2019s chief music officer Paul Sinclair and head of creator economy and monetization Rosie Nguyen said in a blog post on Thursday. \u201cSpark\u2019s goal is to help more artists turn ideas into finished projects, connect those projects with fans, and build new opportunities to grow their careers both on and beyond Suno.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSuno has previously held songwriting camps, where it\u2019s hosted artists including Timbaland and songwriters Om\u2019Mas Keith\u00a0and Gino the Ghost, according to Billboard. The news comes as the AI music platform continues to try to position itself as a partner to the music industry, touting its upcoming model in partnership with Warner Music Group and claiming that several artists and producers within the industry contributed to its recent $400 million investment round,<\/a> which valued the company at $5.4 billion.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOne of the best parts of working in music is discovering artists at the beginning of their journey,\u201d\u00a0Sinclair and Ngyuen wrote. \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to meet the talented creatives who join Spark, hear what they\u2019re working on, share their stories, and learn from them along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tStill, it weathers active litigation from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment \u2014\u00a0and distaste from top artists<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tOn Saturday, SZA on Instagram claimed producer Diplo was an investor in the company and helped it train its models on \u201cthe best and brightest black minds of writers and producers,\u201d\u00a0writing that hundreds of her songs were used to train AI models. She also said musicians who supported AI music generators, which she labeled as \u201cdegenerate shit,\u201d\u00a0were \u201cdisgusting\u201d\u00a0and disavowed any acceptable use cases of the product.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cthere\u2019s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY,\u201d\u00a0she wrote. \u201cI hope u have the life u deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n