AI music generator Suno has removed an advertising campaign featuring Mary J. Blige after the R&B singer’s representatives said she had not approved the advert or authorised the company to use her likeness.
The campaign, released late last month, showed Blige in a recording studio reacting positively to a song apparently created using Suno’s AI music technology. The advert quickly attracted criticism online before Suno confirmed that it had ended the campaign after discovering that the person it had dealt with was not an authorised representative of the singer.
Suno says Mary J. Blige did not approve the advert
In the video, Blige appears alongside an unnamed producer as he builds a track using technology presented as Suno’s AI music generator.
The producer adds strings and a beat following suggestions from Blige, while the singer appears impressed by the result as the track takes shape within seconds.
The advert gave the impression that Blige was participating in and endorsing Suno’s technology. According to Suno, however, the singer had not approved the campaign.
A Suno representative told Variety and The Hollywood Reporter:
“Ms. Blige is an icon who we all deeply admire. Ever since she broke onto the scene with What’s the 411, No More Drama, The Breakthrough, Growing Pains, etc., she hasn’t stopped innovating. That’s why we wanted to work with her.”
The representative said Suno had entered into an agreement with someone claiming to represent Blige officially.
“We entered into a business deal with someone who presented themselves as Ms. Blige’s official representative. As soon as we learned this was not the case, and that Ms. Blige was uncomfortable, we terminated the advertising campaign.”
Blige has not publicly commented on the advert.
The controversy comes as Suno faces legal challenges
The dispute adds to a difficult period for Suno as the company faces wider legal challenges over the use of music and artists’ identities in generative AI.
Suno is currently involved in copyright litigation with Universal Music Group and Sony Music over allegations concerning the use of copyrighted recordings to develop its AI technology.
Separately, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and other plaintiffs filed a class-action lawsuit against Suno this week, alleging that the platform allows users to create music based on artists’ identities without their permission.
The Mary J. Blige campaign has therefore raised a separate issue from the copyright cases: whether an artist’s name, image and apparent endorsement can be used to promote an AI music product without proper authorisation.
AI music and artist consent remain under scrutiny
The incident comes as record labels, artists and technology companies continue to debate how generative AI should interact with the music industry.
AI tools are increasingly being used by musicians for tasks including songwriting, production, sound design, mastering and vocal processing. At the same time, concerns remain over whether artists’ recordings, voices, identities and creative styles can be used without consent.
Suno’s decision to withdraw the Blige campaign came after the company said it learned that the person claiming to represent her was not authorised to do so.
