Grammy-winning artist and producer Timbaland has launched a new AI-focused entertainment venture, called Stage Zero. The company has launched with its first AI artist, TaTa, according to a press release on Thursday (June 5).
Timbaland said: “She is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI. TaTa is the start of something bigger. She’s the first artist of a new generation. A-Pop is the next cultural evolution, and TaTa is its first icon.”
Timbaland co-founded Stage Zero with Rocky Mudaliar, the award-winning producer behind Inmate #1, Bisping, and Breaking Olympia, and Zayd Portillo, an AI music strategist and co-creator of Timbo I-Do.
In addition to co-founding Light Energy Labs, the creator-tech studio behind CamUp!, Portillo also advises Suno on music AI integration.
“She is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI.”
Timbaland, Stage Zero
Stage Zero operates separately from Suno despite Timbaland’s strategic advisory role. Suno, the AI music-making platform being sued by the record majors over copyright infringement, formed an official partnership with Timbaland in October 2024, after what it says were “months” of him “being a top user of the platform.”
Stage Zero’s founders told Rolling Stone that the music they create relies on a collaborative process with Suno, where Timbaland uploads conventional demos to the system, allowing Suno to process it and incorporate human-written lyrics.
Timbaland told the news outlet how TaTa’s voice originated from a Suno generation that caught his attention: “It came to a point where I’m like, ‘Yo, this voice, it’s amazing.”
In a statement, Timbaland said: “I’m not just producing tracks anymore. I’m producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch.”
Mudaliar added: “The artists of tomorrow won’t just be human, they’ll be IP, code, and robotics that are fully autonomous. That’s what we’re building at Stage Zero.”
“The artists of tomorrow won’t just be human, they’ll be IP, code, and robotics that are fully autonomous. That’s what we’re building at Stage Zero.”
Rocky Mudaliar, Stage Zero
Timbaland, who has collaborated with artists like Aaliyah, Ludacris, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and Madonna, has been vocal about his support for AI music production.
Speaking to Billboard in April, Timbaland said: “The technology of today is perfect for what this is. What used to take me three months only takes me two days. In the beginning, it was like a toy. It was like going to a toy store. You gotta go through gluttony, because you can’t believe that it’s here.”
Timbaland’s partnership with Suno comes as the AI music startup, alongside its rival Udio, are in talks with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to license the music giants’ recordings. Reports of the talks come despite the three majors suing Suno and Udio last year for copyright infringement.
Meanwhile, Stage Zero hinted at plans beyond TaTa. “This is just the beginning though. Stage Zero comprises music and so much more to be revealed soon,” the venture said.
Stage Zero marks Timbaland’s latest music industry venture after launching beat marketplace Beatclub in 2021 with his long-term manager Gary Marella. Beatclub attracted investment from Hipgnosis and Anthem Entertainment in 2023 as part of its series A-2 funding round. It then expanded to China last year via a partnership with NetEase Cloud Music.
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