If you need any further evidence that direct-to-consumer sales are now a major priority for the music industry, look no further than the new executive-level role that Sony Music has created.
In a statement on Tuesday (September 2), the music giant announced it has appointed Universal Music Group alumnus Christopher Södergren as its first-ever Executive Vice-President, Direct-to-Consumer Strategy and Operations.
Based in New York and reporting to Sony Music COO Kevin Kelleher, Södergren will be responsible for advancing Sony’s direct-to-consumer strategies and enhancing the company’s e-commerce capabilities, while partnering with every business unit at Sony Music globally, including its record labels, Global Digital Business Group, international operations, the Orchard, AWAL and Ceremony of Roses.
“Part of the value we bring is how we help our artists maximize the ways they reach their fans and create commercial opportunities,” Kelleher said.
“Growing our ecommerce business is a top strategic priority for the company and Christopher’s deep expertise in this area will greatly contribute to formulating and driving initiatives that optimize revenue growth.”
Södergren most recently served as UMG’s Executive Vice President of eCommerce and Head of Business Operations, where he oversaw global eCommerce and artist-led brand ventures, including D2C-related technology, data, marketing, operations and business development.
Prior to UMG, Södergren held senior executive roles at WarnerMedia (later Warner Bros. Discovery), among them leadership positions in international digital ventures and innovation. At WarnerMedia he launched the movie streaming platform FilmStruck and helped build D2C sports businesses.
Earlier in his career, he held consulting roles at Boston Consulting Group and Accenture Management Consulting, where he advised on digital transformation, M&A and operational strategy.
“Growing our ecommerce business is a top strategic priority for the company and Christopher’s deep expertise in this area will greatly contribute to formulating and driving initiatives that optimize revenue growth.”
Kevin Kelleher, Sony Music
“Sony Music has the talent, platforms, and vision to redefine the artist-to-fan relationship,” Södergren said.
“I’m excited to help lead the evolution of that part of the business, enhance the artist experience while deepening fan engagement, strengthening our global presence, and driving long-term value for the company.”
Direct-to-consumer sales have been a growing part of the music industry as the shift to digital makes more intimate relationships between artists and fans easier.
According to market monitor Luminate, D2C sales made up 63% of first-week physical album sales in 2024 among the US Top 200 albums of the year, and 31.9% of first-week album activity (sales and streaming) among those.
With superfan platforms increasingly becoming a medium for D2C sales, Sony’s recent acquisitions of fan-engagement apps Fansifter and Songwhip are particularly notable.
Songwhip is a marketing tool that helps artists quickly generate websites and includes tools that can centralize online content marketing. Fansifter is an analytics tool that simplifies data and insights to create strategies for reaching an artist’s audience “from casual to superfans.”Music Business Worldwide
