Adam Parness

Adam Parness has over twenty five years of experience in the music and technology businesses, with specialized executive experience in building business affairs, licensing, strategy, operations, and creative relations teams. He currently operates Adam Parness Music Consulting and serves as a highly trusted and sought after strategic advisor to numerous music rights holders, notably in the music publishing space, as well as popular global brands, technology-based creative services companies, and firms investing in music and technology1.

From 2017 to 2019, Adam Parness was the Global Head of Music Publishing at Spotify, where he oversaw all publisher and songwriter related functions, as well as music clearances and licensing for podcasts, audiovisual, and original content. Initiatives managed by Adam during his tenure at Spotify include the formation of Spotify’s first Publishing Operations team, the expansion of Spotify into numerous new countries, Spotify Publishing Analytics – the first analytics tool built specifically for music publishers and songwriters by a digital music service, songwriter and producer credits following years of personal, public advocacy for proper attribution on digital music services, and the purchase of Loudr to increase Spotify’s investment in music publishing technology and composition metadata.

Adam has previously held positions at Pandora Media where he led the company’s movement towards direct licensing in order to expand the company’s product portfolio, Amazon where he was instrumental in the launches of Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music; and Rhapsody International Inc. where he held the position of Vice President of Music Licensing and was instrumental in the acquisition of Napster.

Honored in Billboard 40 Under 40 and a frequent keynote speaker at industry events, Adam is an accomplished musician and obtained a Bachelor of Music from New York University in 2000.

Billboard Op-Ed: https://www.billboard.com/business/streaming/spotify-pay-songwriters-fair-share-guest-colu
mn-1235689545/

MBW Op-Ed: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/why-spotifys-ex-global-head-of-music-publishingthinks-
streaming-services-should-be-paying-songwriters-more-money/