Amsterdam-based Messenger bot startup I AM POP has hired Sam Taylor as its London-based Chief Commercial Officer.
The appointment coincides with the opening of a new office in Shoreditch, East London, which will house the company’s marketing and partnerships teams.
Taylor (pictured) brings 15 years of experience in music and technology to the role, and will oversee marketing, partnerships and commercial strategy for POP.
He joins after nearly two years as UK Brand Manager for digital distributor TuneCore.
The appointment signals I AM POP’s expansion into the UK market, targeting musicians, labels and other music businesses with its Facebook Messenger bot and fan messaging platform.
POP’s technology is currently used by artists including Noel Gallagher and Armin van Buuren.
“Sam joins POP at a key moment for the company and his appointment allows me, the product and technical teams to continue to focus on building the best technology.”
Tim Heineke, IAM POP
The firm was founded in 2016 by Tim Heineke, who previously co-founded digital music distributor FUGA, and music discovery service Shuffler. POP’s team is based between The Netherlands, Portugal and the UK.
Taylor said: “I’m excited to be joining Tim and the team at POP. Over the course of my career to date, I’ve seen the incredible impact of widespread social media adoption on the music industry, and I wholeheartedly believe that Facebook Messenger is where the future of digital social interaction lies — it’s the next wave.
“More than 1.3 billion people use Messenger each month, making it a game-changing opportunity for musicians, labels, brands and media to reach fans without content being algorithmically filtered out of traditional feeds. The POP bot offers the most straightforward way to embrace this opportunity.”
Founder of POP, Tim Heineke added: “People are only just beginning to realise the creative possibilities of what can be done by delivering content through Facebook Messenger — engagement rates outstrip everything else, with open rates close to 100% and vastly improved click through rates. For many of our clients, Messenger has become the number one driver of fans to their digital content.
“Sam joins POP at a key moment for the company and his appointment allows me, the product and technical teams to continue to focus on building the best technology. We’re very excited to be heading into 2018 with him on board.”Music Business Worldwide
