According to an internal memo, Sony Music has appointed former BPI CEO Geoff Taylor to the position of executive vice president of AI, possibly the first senior executive position in the music business dedicated to AI.Â
Taylor, a Member of the Order of the British Empire and former CEO of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade association for 15 years, will report to Sony Music Entertainment COO Kevin Kelleher in his new position.
Taylor will be in charge of overseeing the company’s AI-related business initiatives. He will also be looking after the business and legal affairs, global digital business, and other divisions, according to what the memo states.
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“Geoff brings to our company decades of music industry experience,” Kelleher said. Prior to joining the BPI, Geoff was General Counsel and Executive Vice-President at the global recorded music trade body, the IFPI from 2005-2007.
Since the introduction of streaming, nothing has had as much of an impact on the industry as AI in recent months. In contrast to how it responded to illicit downloading and file-sharing at the beginning of this century, the industry is now acting considerably more proactively and is developing standards and guidelines for authorizing and paying artists and rights holders. Taylor’s appointment is unquestionably representative of that strategy.
Recently, major changes were revealed by The Recording Academy for the biggest award show in music. The Grammys will now accept entries for music created by artificial intelligence, although it will not be considered for nomination or for award representation.
