Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that Mike Biggane is joining its ranks, effective September 13, as Executive Vice President of Music Strategies and Tactics.
Confirming a number of rumor stories in recent weeks, UMG says the newly created role will see Biggane work across its labels and territories “as an accelerator for artists’ careers and to maximize the opportunities for new music releases”.
Biggane, who most recently served as Spotify’s Global Head of Curation, will work closely with UMG’s data analytics, marketing, creative and insights teams.
He will be based in UMG’s headquarters in Santa Monica and report to the company’s Chairman and CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge.
Grainge said, “Mike brings the skills and vision that will help accelerate our artists’ careers. I’m so pleased to welcome him to UMG, where he is joining a future-focused team that is providing artists around the world with new opportunities for enduring global success.”
“I’m so pleased to welcome Mike to UMG, where he is joining a future-focused team that is providing artists around the world with new opportunities for enduring global success.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group
Biggane joined Spotify in 2014. At the streaming company, he developed and help build New Music Friday and Today’s Top Hits into two of the service’s biggest playlists.
He also led a team responsible for creating the curation strategy for Spotify’s owned-and-operated global playlist ecosystem.
“I’m so excited to work with the incredible amount of talent that resides within Universal Music,” Biggane said.
“I’ve been watching as a fan from afar as many of my favorite artists and songs have come from the UMG family and become international success stories. I can’t wait to do my part and contribute to the world-class legacy that has made UMG the most desired destination for artists, while continuing to set the tone as the biggest music company in the world.’
Prior to Spotify, Biggane served as Director of Operations at HitPredictor, a predictive song research and music testing company, where he spent eight years evaluating audience reaction at radio formats while identifying potential hits.
During this time, Biggane developed techniques and strategies that leverage data to predict a song’s future performance.Music Business Worldwide
