SoundCloud has named Eliah Seton chief executive officer, effective immediately. HesucceedsMichael Weissman, who joined the streamer in 2017, has served as CEO since 2021 andis departing for a new opportunity.
Seton joinedSoundCloud in 2021 as president, overseeing theCreator and Roster operating divisionsas wellas strategy, M&A, content partnerships, business development, and distribution and artist partnerships. In that role, he has been instrumental inrefocusing the business on deepening the relationship between its artists and fans through new economic models, products and tools.
The company also announced that Fred Wilson,founder of Union Square Ventures andmember of SoundCloud’s board since 2011, has been appointed as the new chairman of the board. Wilson succeeds SoundCloud Founder Alexander Ljung who served as CEO from 2007-2017 and chairman from 2017-2022.Ljung will assume a new role as chairman emeritus of the SoundCloud board, continue to serve as a board member and will alsoremain closely engaged and available to the company’s management team and employees going forward.
“I have served on SoundCloud’s board for more than a decade and can honestly say that I have never been more excited about the direction and leadership of the company. Eliah’s passion for the business of music, relationships and vision are exactly what is needed for the next phase of SoundCloud’s growth, said Wilson. “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mike for his leadership, dedication and partnership over the past several years and welcome Eliah to this new role,” said Fred Wilson.
“As the only platform with direct relationships with artists and fans at scale, SoundCloud has a singular opportunity to forge the future of the music industry by unlocking the full power of fandom,” said Seton. “I am grateful to Mike for our partnership, to Fred and the board for their confidence and thrilled to work alongside our incredible leadership team to realize that vision.”
Over the past year, Seton has overseen the launch ofFan-Powered Royalties (FPR) and the first-ever major label license on FPR with Warner Music Group, the acquisition of AI machine-learning music tech company Musiio, an artist development joint venture with Quality Control’s Solid Foundation and the launch of SoundCloud for Artists, among other endeavors.
