SoundExchange has appointed Michele Page as its new General Counsel.
In the role, Page will oversee the organization’s legal functions, including regulatory issues, enforcement programs, rate proceedings, corporate governance, and compliance.
She joins the SoundExchange executive team as chief legal advisor, reporting to President and CEO Michael Huppe.
Page succeeds Tim Dadson, who was promoted to General Counsel at SoundExchange in 2021.Brieanne Jackson was promoted to Deputy General Counsel at the same time.
Before Dadson, Colin Rushing led the SoundExchange legal department, rising to General Counsel in 2011, Senior Vice President and General Counsel in 2014, and Chief Legal Officer in 2020.
Rushing stepped down at the end of 2021 after almost 14 years at the company.
“Michele brings deep legal expertise, sound judgment, strategic acumen, and a strong understanding of the evolving music and technology landscape,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange.
“As SoundExchange continues to grow and innovate in service of creators and our worldwide partners, Michele’s leadership will be an invaluable asset for our team. We’re thrilled to welcome her into this role.”
“As SoundExchange continues to grow and innovate in service of creators and our worldwide partners, Michele’s leadership will be an invaluable asset for our team. We’re thrilled to welcome her into this role.”
Michael Huppe, SoundExchange
Michele Page added: “I’m honored to join SoundExchange at such an important moment for the music industry.
“SoundExchange plays a vital role in advocating for creators and rights owners, and I’m excited to be part of an organization with such a strong mission and impact. I look forward to working with this talented team to help advance its efforts on behalf of the music community.”
Page was most recently Vice President, Legal at Peloton Interactive, where she led a cross-functional team partnering with business leaders across music, content strategy, copyright and royalties, and rights management.
“SoundExchange plays a vital role in advocating for creators and rights owners, and I’m excited to be part of an organization with such a strong mission and impact. I look forward to working with this talented team to help advance its efforts on behalf of the music community.”
Michele Page, SoundExchange
Before Peloton, she was General Counsel, Media at Nielsen, where she led licensing, litigation, settlements, and consent decree compliance as a member of the executive team.
According to the press release, she was also a board member of NCSolutions, a Nielsen-Catalina joint venture that was later acquired by Circana.
Page began in artists and repertoire roles at major labels including Arista, Columbia, and PolyGram/Mercury, according to a 2019 profile in Modern Counsel.
The same profile reported that she started her legal career in intellectual property litigation at Pryor Cashman LLP, serving as third chair in a David Yurman trade dress infringement trial.
Page’s appointment comes as SoundExchange confronts the growth of generative AI.
The organization launched a registry for rightsholders to declare whether their recordings can be used to train AI models, and is a founding member of the Human Artistry Campaign.
SoundExchange has also expanded its international network, adding 17 agreements with collective management organizations in recent months.
It is the sole organization designated by the US government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, collecting digital performance royalties from services including Pandora, SiriusXM, and iHeartRadio.
The organization, which describes itself as the largest neighboring rights organization in the world, says it has distributed more than USD$13 billion in digital performance royalties to over 800,000 music creators to date.Music Business Worldwide
