Sulinna Ong has been promoted to Spotify‘s Global Head of Editorial.
According to Hits, which first reported the news, Australian-born Ong will relocate to Los Angeles for the role, and will officially start on November 1.
Ong initially joined Spotify in April 2019 as Head of Artist & Label Services.
Three months later, in July, she was promoted to Head of Music for the UK and Ireland, where she took responsibility for leading both Spotify’s Artist & Label Services (ALS) and Music Culture & Editorial (MCE) teams in the UK and IE.
Over the course of her career, Ong has work in International Marketing at Sony Music, Live Nation, as its Director of International Marketing & Artist Development, and Deezer, where she was Global Vice President of Artist Marketing.
She has also founded her own artist management and marketing strategy firm, Silver Horse Entertainment.
Hits reports that Tom Connaughton, Spotify’s UK Managing Director since 2018, will take on Ong’s responsibilites whilst maintaining his present duties.
In a 2019 interview with MBW, Ong set out her vision for Spotify, saying that the streaming giant needed “to have a global reach, but a local touch,” and that in her role, a “knowledge base, in terms of what’s culturally relevant, is really important.”
In the same interview, Ong also offered some words of advice for aspiring music executives.
“Number one, understand the importance of the follow-through. Do what you say you’re going to do. It’s about being accountable.
“Secondly, confidence is good, but it’s got to be backed up by knowledge and results. Don’t get comfortable, ever.”
“THERE’LL ALWAYS BE CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED, BUT IF YOU AREN’T BEING CHALLENGED ON A WEEKLY, OR EVEN A DAILY BASIS, THEN YOU AREN’T PUSHING YOURSELF ENOUGH OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.”
“There’ll always be challenges along the way, especially if you want to succeed, but if you aren’t being challenged on a weekly, or even a daily basis, then you aren’t pushing yourself enough out of your comfort zone. And there’s no magic formula when you think about dealing with challenges, because by their very nature, they’re always new and different.”
“You have to stay flexible and learn as much as you can about the stuff you don’t know. And don’t be afraid to ask people for help.
“One other point: no-one owes you anything, so be as resourceful as possible. Integrity goes a long way. It really does.Music Business Worldwide
