Spotify’s Director, Global Head of International Licensing exits, joins YouTube Music as Managing Director, APAC

Longtime Spotify exec Paul Smith has exited his role as Director, Global Head of International Licensing at the streaming company.

The veteran music executive has joined Google as Managing Director, YouTube Music, APAC, which he revealed in a LinkedIn post this week.

At Spotify, according to Smith’s LinkedIn profile, he was responsible for driving the company’s global expansion across new market launches through commercial licensing partnerships with both local and global rights holders.

Some of those 100-plus markets include South Korea, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, South Africa and Israel.

The Singapore-based exec also says he was responsible for “leading a team of industry professionals, directing the commercial and strategic approach across industry rights holders to support fully localised value propositions.

Prior to Spotify spent a year as VP, Business Affairs & Label Relations at MixRadio.

There, according to his LinkedIn profile, he played a role in LINE Corp’s acquisition of Microsoft’s ‘MixRadio’ entertainment proposition.

He also spent a year at Microsoft as Director, Global Head of Major Label Relations.

In that, role, he says that he led the commercial and strategic development of Microsoft’s relationships with major record labels and other significant industry rights holders.

Before working at Microsoft, Smith worked at mobile technology firm Nokia for over seven years in various senior roles label relations roles.

He was mostly recently

Smith originally joined Nokia in 2006 as Global Head of New Markets, Music.

The veteran music exec’s experience also included a year at Sanctuary Records Group as a Business Development Manager between 1999 and 2000

He also spent four years at Universal Music Group as a Senior National Accounts Manager between 1995 and 1999.

“We have experienced massive growth in both our advertising and subscription businesses around the world, including APAC.”

Lyor Cohen, YouTube

In statement, YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen, said: “We are excited to welcome Paul to jump into the YouTube team in this Year of the Tiger. We have experienced massive growth in both our advertising and subscription businesses around the world, including APAC.

“Paul has joined our team at an exciting moment when innovation is happening across APAC with new monetisation options for creators and new ways of servicing our viewers, and will continue to build upon our relationships in the region.”

“Having been in the region for years, I have witnessed the incredible growth of YouTube’s music businesses here in APAC.”

Paul Smith

Paul Smith, added: “Having been in the region for years, I have witnessed the incredible growth of YouTube’s music businesses here in APAC.

“I am honoured to be able to join and learn from an amazing team of colleagues at YouTube, and get to know and contribute to the future of the fastest growing music platform.

“Our artists and creators across the region are already building on their success stories around the world, and I look forward to working closely with our partners and creators to help them accelerate the growth.”

Music Business Worldwide