Variety: Apple Music poaches top Google A&R exec

From Lindsay Rothschild arrives from Google where she led songwriter and publisher relations for YouTube.

Apple Music is continuing to build out its publishing division, recently hiring Lindsay Rothschild as Head of Creative Services, Music Publishing, for North America, Variety has learned. Rothschild arrives from Google where she led songwriter and publisher relations for YouTube as well as music publishing business development for YouTube and Google Play.

Her new position marks Apple Music’s second hire on the Music Publishing Creative Services team, though the position had been green-lit long before Rothschild’s April 29 start date.

It also comes at a time of strain for songwriter relations as they pertain to tech companies. In recent months, Spotify has come under vocal criticism of its attempt appeal a 2018 decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to raise the rate paid to songwriters by 44% over the next five years. Amazon, Google and SiriusXM/Pandora joined in the battle, but Apple sat it out, winning the PR war.

My take: A curated YouTube for Apple subscribers that favors paying artists fair royalty rates? Hmm.