UMG Global Digital Chief Rob Wells Loves Spotify, Calls Pandora “Dumb” [VIDEO]
(UPDATED) On a new episode of This Week In Music, Ian Rogers interviews Rob Wells, Universal Music Group's President of Global Digital Business. Wells was an early champion of Spotify and streaming services: "its incremental revenue not cannibalistic revenue". He sees them able to monetize younger fans and create scale to generate significant revenue. "They provide an opportunity to monetize the 95% of music that is consumed without licenses." But Wells is strongly critical of Pandora: "It's a very dumb service…they are not doing music or the recorded music business any favors". WATCH:
huh? pandora is good for artists.
major labels still trying to control the music biz through streaming. that’s why he loves spotify, cause universal owns part of it.
Great interview, worth watching all the way through for many reasons, but the music recommendations at the end were the clincher for me, particularly Ben Howard. I can never understand why more music interviewers talking to someone at a high level in the industry don’t actually ask for music recommendations!
Very funny watching majors. Still arrogant.
You are right on the streaming comment, Larry.
If you work for a tax cheating multi-national corporation this makes total sense. #justsayin
“Someone at a high level in the industry” doesn’t listen to music, silly.
This is only interesting from minute 51 on.