Inside Suno, the AI Music App You Won't Be Able to Stop Listening To | Mikey Shulman (Suno)
Jan 26, 2025
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Mikey Shulman, CEO and co-founder of the innovative AI music app Suno, shares fascinating insights into the future of music. He discusses how AI can both enrich and challenge the music landscape, highlighting the need for human connection in a hyper-personalized world. Mikey explains the technical challenges of music AI, the shift from passive listening to interactive experiences, and the importance of user feedback. He also elaborates on the app's goal to democratize music creation, empowering users to collaborate and share their artistic expressions.
Mikey Shulman highlights the dual potential of AI in music, stressing the need for a balance between innovation and maintaining social connectivity.
Suno empowers users to create personalized songs from text prompts, fostering deeper emotional connections and community engagement in music-making.
Deep dives
The Good vs. Bad Future of AI in Music
There is a significant concern regarding the future implications of AI in the music industry, particularly the potential for a harmful outcome. A bad future may arise from AI technologies enabling the creation of an infinite number of songs that replicate an artist's unique style without benefiting the original creator financially. Another concerning scenario involves hyper-personalized music experiences, which could lead to solitary listening habits, stripping away the social aspect of music. The speaker advocates for a positive vision where AI can enhance musical engagement, potentially leading to a billion more people enjoying and participating in music compared to current levels.
Suno's Vision and User Engagement
Suno, co-founded by Mikey Shulman, aims to democratize music creation by offering a platform that allows users to produce songs from text prompts. The goal is not to just introduce more people to music but to enrich their experiences and connect them socially through music-making. For many, using Suno is not just about listening to music passively; it enables a blend of creation and consumption, encouraging users to compose personal songs. The interactive aspect of creating songs—such as making them about loved ones—fosters a deeper connection to music and enhances user retention.
Innovative Features and User Community
Suno's platform is characterized by innovative features, such as the ability for users to create cover songs, which delivers both familiarity and creativity. This feature encourages users to adapt songs they already love into new interpretations, making the entry into music creation much more approachable. Additionally, the company maintains an active community on Discord, with over 400,000 members, providing a continuous feedback loop for development and engagement. This community-driven approach ensures that Suno remains responsive to user needs and preferences, further validating its appeal.
Challenges and Lessons in AI Product Development
Building an AI-driven product like Suno presents unique challenges, particularly in navigating the expectations and behaviors of users who may not care about the underlying technology. A key principle in product development is to prioritize user experience over the technical intricacies of AI models. Additionally, the founders emphasize the importance of having a monetization strategy early on, which helps ascertain what features users value enough to pay for. Ultimately, the aim is to create a product that users love, making them less concerned about the AI aspects and more focused on the musical experiences provided.
My guest today is Mikey Shulman.
Mikey is the CEO and co-founder of Suno, the best AI music app available. I’ve had so much fun using it to make songs with my kids. In our chat, Mikey shares how music LLMs work, how Suno builds AI products, and the good and bad futures of music with AI.
Timestamps:
(00:00) The good and bad futures of AI in music
(03:41) How Suno's music AI actually works
(07:31) Building for personalization without losing humanity
(10:34) Turning text into actual songs
(14:06) Product iteration in uncharted territory
(20:37) Core principles for building AI products
(25:06) How streaming changed everything
(31:35) What's next for AI music in 2025
(32:51) Navigating product management in AI
Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/inside-suno-the-ai-music-app-you-wont-stop-listening-to-product
Where to find Mikey: X: https://x.com/MikeyShulmanWebsite: https://suno.ai/
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