China music licensing pioneer Mathew Daniel has moved to NetEase Cloud Music as VP of International. Formerly President, International of R2G, which was acquired late last year by Tencent Music, Mathew and his partners pioneered the development of the music licensing market in China.
In addition to launching the first legal independent music store in China 10 years ago, Daniel helped many international artists legally distribute their music in China, including then unknown artist Adele.
Launched in 2013, NetEase Cloud Music has over 300 million users. Last month it received about $108 million USD n Series A funding and has now joined the ‘unicorn club’ with a valuation of more than $1 billion USD.
There is a huge opportunity for Western artists in China. In 2016, the number of streams on NetEase Cloud Music for North American and European acts grew 75% year-on-year.
“I am really proud of all we accomplished at R2, going against all odds in a harsh market of institutionalized music piracy. It is a testament to the strength of our management team that we stuck together for 12 years building the foundation of the licensed music market until our acquisition by Tencent Music. However, the mission is still not complete and I am glad to now embark on the next lap with the team at NetEase Cloud Music as they have the most exciting music product in the market, with love of music at its core supported by a positive user experience backed by data analysis,” stated Mathew.