BOLOGNA, ITALY (CelebrityAccess) – Musixmatch, a leading global music data platform, has announced the appointment of Rio Caraeff as Chief Business Officer (CBO). In this role, Caraeff will oversee all commercial activity across Musixmatch’s businesses globally, helping to define the company’s strategic growth plans. He will also manage and strengthen relationships with Musixmatch’s clients, partners, IP owners, and other stakeholders.
“With nearly three decades of experience working at the intersection of music, media, and technology, Rio brings to Musixmatch the knowledge and relationships to help accelerate our growth,” said Max Ciociola, Musixmatch Founder and CEO. “Rio is deeply passionate about the entire music ecosystem, and his energy and excitement about his work have enabled his success at some of the most innovative and influential companies in our industry. I’m thrilled to welcome Rio to the Musixmatch team and look forward to partnering closely as we continue to empower songwriters and artists while creating a more engaging and personalized listening experience for fans.”
As the former CEO of Vevo, Caraeff helped to grow the company into one of the world’s largest music video and entertainment platforms. He has also served as Chief Commercial Officer at Syng, a spatial audio company that creates hardware and software products, and Chief Content Officer for Magic Leap. Before Vevo, Caraeff spent over 20 years in technology, strategy, and new business development across all entertainment areas for companies, including Universal Music Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Digital Media Ventures, and Capitol Records Group.
“Throughout my life, my focus has always been on supporting artists and creators, and that ethos entirely aligns with Musixmatch’s mission,” said Caraeff. “Through the power of its global community, talented team, and state-of-the-art technology, Musixmatch has created one of the largest music datasets in the world. I couldn’t be more excited to join and build as there has never been a more vital time than now to create opportunities for artists and further our commitment to support creators.”
Caraeff joins the Musixmatch team with support from TPG. Following significant investment from TPG Growth, the firm’s middle market and growth equity platform, Musixmatch has grown in new geographies, launched Musixmatch Pro, a direct-to-artist SaaS product, and onboarded over one million artists.
“Rio’s strong leadership track record and deep business-building expertise at both start-ups and some of the largest players in the music space will position him for success as he takes on the CBO role,” said Jacqui Hawwa, a Business Unit Partner at TPG Growth. “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Max, Rio, and the impressive team at Musixmatch as we advance our shared goals for the company.”
