CueSongs, which licenses commercial music for use in digital and online media, has hired Christina Vaughan as its new CEO. Former CEO Ed Averdick – who co-founded the firm with Peter Gabriel – steps up to become chairman.
Vaughan joins CueSongs from award-winning independent stock image agency Image Source, which she ran ad Chief Exec and founded.
Vaughan will oversee the initial deployment and beta testing of Cuesong’s new CuePro platform, which last year won the Technology Strategy Board competition, receiving a grant to develop its “Frictionless Music Licensing for Online Broadcast”.
Averdieck (pictured) said: “We got to know Christina Vaughan when we agreed to partner with Image Source in September 2013, and we have since had a very positive working relationship both with her and Image Source.”
“Christina is the perfect person to lead and direct the commercial strategy of CueSongs at this new and exciting period of time. She understands the business of licensing premium content, developing global platforms and working with products and services for the benefit of both content creator and distributor. I am delighted to pass the executive baton to Christina at a time when CueSongs is uniquely positioned for growth as the online video market explodes and consumers acknowledge the value of high quality music in a commercial environment, which our new platform CuePro is poised to deliver on”, Averdieck continues.
Christina Vaughan, CEO of CueSongs, says: “At a time of convulsive change in the music licensing industry, I recognise the pioneering spirit of CueSongs and that it is an idea whose time has come. The business model is based on solid pillars of quality and premium content and I realise the huge opportunity ahead of CueSongs as it pushes forward with its new frictionless commerce platform. Over the past 20 years, micro-licensing has transformed the stock photography industry and the music licensing industry is now similarly positioned for a paradigm-shift.”
“I am very excited to be joining CueSongs at this pivotal time, and I look forward to drive and contribute to the global acceleration of the business,” Vaughan concludes.
Industry partners of CueSongs include Universal Music, Universal Music Publishing, Sony Music, Sony ATV, Warner Chappell, Imagem, BMG Rights, Kobalt, Real World, Bucks Music, Music Sales, Peer Music, Infectious, INgrooves, Black Hole Recordings, New State Entertainment, Kudos Records, Ministry of Sound, Armada Records, 4AD Music, Sentric Music, Notting Hill Music, Amazing Media, A Songs / Southern Fried Records, IRL, District 6 and Distiller Records.
In May 2014, the UK’s MCPS appointed CueSongs as their outsourcing partner for synchronisation licensing.
The CuePro platform will go live in Beta in February.Music Business Worldwide
