Apple has named a new head of its music service, as the paid streaming service passed 40 million subscribers. The company announced the promotion of Oliver Schusser to lead Apple Music, Variety reports, under the title vice president of Apple Music & International Content.
Schusser has led efforts outside the US related to the App Store, iTunes’ movies and TV portals, iBooks, Apple Podcasts and other content. He has worked closely with Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, who hired Schusser some 14 years ago and announced the promotion to staff.
Schusser will relocate from London to California and report to Cue. He previously held positions at Bertelsmann, Universal, Napster and Vodafone, and while in the UK, he played a key role in Apple's acquisition of Shazam, which is still awaiting EU approval. He will continue to lead international teams in 38 different offices.
Also in Cue’s memo, obtained by Variety, was the latest subscription milestone achieved by the three-year-old service. Apple Music now counts more than 40 million paid subscribers in 115 countries. The service also has some 8 million people testing the free trial offer.
