Jacob Fowler elevated to EVP and Chief Product Officer at Sony Music – Music Business Worldwide

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has promoted Jacob Fowler to Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer.

Based in New York, he reports directly to Kevin Kelleher, Chief Operating Officer, SME.

In the new role, Fowler will lead global product strategy. He will work closely with the leadership of Sony Music’s Global Digital Business (GDB) group and The Orchard to oversee a newly-created worldwide group that combines the product technology and engineering teams of the two divisions.

The new global group will continue to build on a range of applications Sony Music currently provides to its workforce and creative partners, including SME’s Real Time Insights tool for artists, its Apollo data analytics platform for employees, and The Orchard’s Workstation + Suite.

The new group will also partner with SME companies and divisions around the world to develop a new suite of digital tools and applications for employees, artists, and labels, which will support content creation, early insights, transparency and business enhancements.

The product and engineering teams at Sony Music Entertainment, including The Orchard, have built great applications with forward-looking mindsets.

Jacob fowler, sme

Additionally, Fowler will continue to oversee technology for The Orchard, as well as AWAL and neighboring rights division, KNR.

In making the announcement, Kevin Kelleher said, “Our advanced technology offerings are a competitive differentiator for Sony Music, and Jacob is a talented executive who shares our vision for the important role innovative products and capabilities will play in our value proposition and success moving forward.

“We are excited for him to build on his leadership in developing The Orchard’s best-in-class platform by combining our strong product cultures and teams around the world to grow Sony Music’s wider suite of product offerings.”

“Our advanced technology offerings are a competitive differentiator for Sony Music, and Jacob is a talented executive who shares our vision.”

Kevin Kelleher, SME

Said Fowler, “The product and engineering teams at Sony Music Entertainment, including The Orchard, have built great applications with forward-looking mindsets.

“I’m excited to help bring together our collective capabilities and leverage the world class products we have built to continue to innovate at an enhanced scale that benefits the organization globally. It’s a thrill to have the ability to take on new career opportunities and challenges within Sony Music.”

Since 2020, Fowler has served as Chief Technology Officer of The Orchard, overseeing all technology strategy for the company and helping lead a range of key initiatives including the launch of The Orchard’s OrchardGo mobile app.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product for The Orchard, where he helped lead a number of key product launches and acquisition integrations.

He joined The Orchard as a Product Manager within the technology group in 2016. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he began his product career with the education tech company 2U. Fowler was recently named to Billboard’s 2022 “40 Under 40” list.

In May 2020, during his stint as Chief Technology Officer at the Orchard, Fowler was instrumental in the development of the OrchardGo app which allows artists to view social media engagement insights and market visibility compared to other artists.

Fowler’s promotion follows SME’s appointment of Vanessa Picken to the role of Chair and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand in June of this year.Music Business Worldwide