LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Downtown Music has named Molly Neuman the President of its ‘Direct-to-Creator’ division, CD Baby. Neuman takes over from Scott Williams, the previous President of CD Baby, who is credited with bringing significant stability and organizational improvement during his two-year tenure. Williams will continue to support Downtown and CD Baby in a consulting capacity.
Additionally, CD Baby’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Christine Barnum, a vital leadership team member, will be departing the company. Barnum played a pivotal role in various achievements at CD Baby, including leading efforts on Trust & Safety.
Neuman brings nearly three decades of leadership experience to CD Baby, including her tenure as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Downtown Music Holdings, the parent company of Downtown Music. She also served as President of Songtrust, Downtown’s publishing administration company, overseeing remarkable revenue growth of over 2,500% in the past six years. Neuman’s diverse background includes roles as Head of Music at Kickstarter and interim president at the American Association of Independent Music. As a founding member of the influential band Bratmobile, Neuman brings a unique blend of industry expertise and real-world experience as an artist to her new role at CD Baby.
As president, Neuman will oversee Downtown’s Direct-to-Creator brands, CD Baby and Soundrop. Under her leadership, Downtown aims to expand its services, enhance user experience, and provide greater support to the global community of independent musicians.
Strategic Changes and Long-Term Focus
This leadership transition at CD Baby follows Downtown’s recent consolidation of its operating businesses as part of its long-term plan to focus exclusively on the services sector. Downtown’s integration strategy involved merging CD Baby’s operations into its Downtown Music division.
Pieter van Rijn, CEO of Downtown Music, expressed confidence in Neuman’s appointment, stating, “Molly’s appointment marks a significant milestone for Downtown Music. Her visionary leadership and deep understanding of the independent music landscape will elevate our direct-to-creator offerings and help us further our mission to support and empower artists at every stage of their careers.”
Molly Neuman expressed excitement about her new role: “I am thrilled to embark on this next chapter of growth at CD Baby and Downtown. I am passionate about providing independent artists the tools and opportunities they need to succeed.”
Downtown Music’s recent initiatives include the launch of Downtown Royalties & Financial Services (DR&FS) and securing an additional $500 million of credit capacity from Bank of America to expand its services for independent artists and labels.
