British AI Music Creator Signs Deal with Independent Label
Image Credit: Alexander Shatov | Splash
Oliver McCann, a 37-year-old British visual designer with no prior musical training, has secured a record deal billed as a first-of-its-kind signing for an AI-assisted creator from the platform Suno, amid artificial intelligence's expanding role in music production. Earlier deals involving AI or virtual acts, such as Capitol Records' 2021 signing of the AI-generated rapper FN Meka, provide context but differ in focus from this human-AI hybrid approach.
McCann, performing as imoliver, signed with Los Angeles-based Hallwood Media in July 2025 following more than 3 million streams of his track "Stone" on the AI platform Suno. The deal, announced around July 24–25, includes the re-release of "Stone" on major streaming services on August 8 and a debut album set for October 24. This agreement arrives amid a global recorded music industry valued at US$29.6 billion in 2024, where streaming generated more than US$20 billion, or 69% of total revenues.
Deal Structure and Operations
Hallwood Media will release imoliver's music and provide artist services, drawing on the company's operations across management, recordings, distribution, publishing and merchandising. The label plans to release additional singles in the coming months.
McCann writes his own lyrics and inputs them as prompts into Suno, an AI tool that generates full songs including melodies and instrumentation. He produces multiple versions per track using a laptop, focusing on genre-spanning styles such as indie-pop and EDM. This method enabled "Stone" to gain traction on Suno, where user-generated AI content is shared and streamed within the platform's community. In mainstream distribution, such tracks compete under existing rules against impersonation or artificial streaming.
imoliver's Emergence
McCann, based in the United Kingdom, began experimenting with AI tools like Suno as a creative extension of his design work, without experience in instruments or composition. "Stone," released on Suno in early 2024, became among the platform's top-streamed tracks, positioning imoliver as one of its top users by July 2025. Prior to the deal, his output was limited to Suno, where AI-generated songs form a significant portion of uploads but face challenges in broader monetization.
Hallwood Media's Approach
Jacobson launched Hallwood Media after leading producer management at Interscope Records, with the company expanding into reported investments via Hallwood Media Ventures in 2021, including stakes in music tech firms Splice and Soundful. The imoliver deal aligns with this strategy, targeting innovation in a sector where AI tools lower production barriers but raise questions about authorship.
Suno CEO Mikey Shulman described the partnership as a milestone for music's inclusivity, stating it demonstrates how new platforms can foster diverse creators. Jacobson emphasized imoliver's role at the "intersection of craftwork and taste", while McCann noted the deal signals industry openness to AI as an expansive tool rather than a replacement for human artists.
Broader Industry Landscape
Major labels Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Records sued Suno and Udio in June 2024, alleging the firms trained their AI models on copyrighted recordings without permission, in cases ongoing as of September 2025. In January 2025, Germany's GEMA filed a separate lawsuit against Suno in Munich, citing similarities to works including Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" and seeking fair remuneration for members.
Debate persists on AI's implications, with artists like will.i.am endorsing it as akin to past technologies, while others highlight risks to authenticity and employment. In February 2025, more than 1,000 UK musicians, including Kate Bush and Damon Albarn, released a silent album protesting proposed legislation that would permit AI training on copyrighted music without artist consent. Platforms like Spotify have begun testing AI features, but policies remain inconsistent.
On Deezer, fully AI-generated tracks comprised 28% of daily uploads as of September 2025, totaling over 30,000 per day, yet they account for only 0.5% of streams, with up to 70% of those deemed fraudulent through manipulation. Deezer excludes such content from recommendations and royalties to protect the ecosystem.
Outlook for AI in Music
The imoliver deal may encourage similar contracts as AI tools democratize production, potentially increasing synthetic content in licensing for media and advertising. Legal resolutions, expected through 2025, could clarify training data usage, balancing innovation with intellectual property rights. Industry observers anticipate growth in hybrid human-AI workflows, though sustained listener engagement for fully generated tracks remains limited beyond initial novelty.
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