Variety

by Jem Aswad

February 23, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Empire Publishing has expanded its partnership with Grammy-winning artist Shaboozey through a new publishing deal, marking a significant move in their long-standing collaboration. The agreement highlights Shaboozey’s talent as both an artist and a songwriter, particularly his ability to craft compelling, story-driven tracks that resonate with diverse audiences. Empire’s leadership team, including Vinny Kumar and Eric Hurt, emphasized the importance of this partnership in furthering Shaboozey’s success and creative growth, while Jared Cotter praised the mutual commitment between Shaboozey and Empire. Meanwhile, generative-AI company Suno has appointed former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer. Sirota brings extensive experience in scaling music businesses, having grown Merlin’s revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion during his tenure. At Suno, he will lead commercial strategy, industry relationships, and enterprise solutions, leveraging his expertise in AI partnerships and technology infrastructure. His background includes roles at Meta, Warner Music Group, and Morrison Foerster, where he focused on licensing and intellectual property. These developments underscore the evolving landscape of the music industry, with Empire doubling down on Shaboozey’s creative potential and Suno enhancing its commercial and technological capabilities under Sirota’s leadership. The partnership with Shaboozey is expected to amplify his songwriting impact, while Siroto’s role at Suno positions him as a key player in shaping the future of AI-driven music creation. For fans and the industry alike, these moves signal continued innovation and growth in entertainment, particularly in leveraging technology to support artists and their creative processes. The significance of these announcements lies in their potential to redefine how music is created, distributed, and consumed. Empire’s expanded deal with Shaboozey reinforces the importance of songwriting as a cornerstone of artistic success, while Suno’s strategic appointment of Sirota highlights the growing role of AI in the music industry.

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Originally published on Variety on 2/23/2026