Suno has ambitions to become more than just a toy to overcome the lack of AI, it also wants to become a streaming destination and uncover new artists. Spark is their new incubator program for independent artists that provides grants, mentorship, and marketing assistance.
To apply, artists must be an unsigned singer, songwriter or producer releasing music under their own name. They also need to agree to certain terms and conditions, which has raised some objections on the Listen subreddit. For one, you have to agree to make your songs available on Suno for remixing. This isn’t necessarily overly worrisome, but it does grant Suno a broad license to your works, including the ability to create derivative works. By agreeing, you also give up your right to participate in trials and class actions, and grant Suno limited exclusivity to your content. Listen is already facing a proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of a group of independent artists.
Perhaps the most worrying thing is the “Good Vibes Only” privacy and non-defamatory clause that requires you to promote Suno and give the company the right to request edits and removal of your content. It states that the participant will not “at any time, directly or indirectly, make any statements or representations, orally or in writing, that negatively portray Suno, Suno personnel and/or any Suno products or services,” and doing so could mean removal from the program.
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