In his exit interview for Music Week, longtime BPI CEO Geoff Taylor spoke about his plans to move to a commercial role that covered business expansion in a landscape disrupted by technology. Now his new job has been revealed.
Taylor has been appointed as executive vice president, artificial intelligence at Sony Music Entertainment. He will be based in London and report to Kevin Kelleher, chief operating officer.
Given the impact and opportunities involving AI – an issue recently addressed by Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer – it’s potentially a key role at the major.
In a memo obtained by Music Week, Kevin Kelleher told staff: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) has great significance for the future of the music industry and, as a result, more focused attention on it is required. Accordingly, we are delighted to share that Geoff Taylor will be joining us as our new executive vice president, artificial intelligence.
“Reporting to me and working closely with our Global Digital Business and Business & Legal Affairs divisions, Geoff will align and help coordinate the work of every part of the business that touches AI.”
The current industry thinking on AI, and expectations for government to step in to protect copyright, was summarised by UK Music CEO Jamie Njoku-Goodwin in a new opinion piece for Music Week.
In his memo, Kelleher highlighted Taylor’s decades of industry experience in the UK, including 15 years heading the BPI where he grappled with the most pressing issues for labels.
“Geoff brings to our company decades of music industry experience,” wrote Kevin Kelleher. “Most recently, from 2007 to 2022 Geoff was the chief executive of the BPI, our UK trade body for recorded music, where he led the fight against piracy and fraud and advocated for the strategic importance of recorded music to jobs, investment and maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness. Prior to joining the BPI, Geoff was general counsel and executive vice-president at our global recorded music trade body, the IFPI from 2005-2007.
“In these roles, Geoff has worked with our company for several years and I am delighted he is joining to help us successfully navigate a key moment in the history of the music industry.”
Speaking to Music Week last year to mark his departure from the BPI, Taylor honed in on AI and Web3 as vital challenges for the industry.
Speaking about his post-BPI ambitions, he added: “I’m interested in business strategy and the complex relationship between commercial issues, political, legal, technological, PR and how you navigate that matrix of factors to grow a business when it is continually disrupted by technology.”
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