PRS for Music Appoints New Chief Executive

PRS for Music has announced that Robert Ashcroft has been appointed Chief Executive and will take up the position on 25th January 2010.

Robert joins the organisation having been a former Senior Vice President at Sony, where he headed their network services division in Europe and mobile products division in the United States. With a range of experience from global organisations that include both The Walt Disney Company and Convergys Corporation, and more recently Hudson Morris Associates, an investment consultancy specialising in digital media, Robert has skills suited to both the music industry and the wider digital and media environment in which it now operates. The Boards feel Robert has the knowledge and understanding to lead PRS for Music into the coming decade, and is the ideal candidate for the position. 

Robert will lead an organisation of 65,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers at the heart of the music industry as it moves forward.  In the last year alone, PRS for Music has negotiated new licensing agreements with YouTube, Spotify, Sky Songs and MySpace Music and seen its revenues from digital sources rise considerably.  

The challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for PRS for Music require a unique skill set and an operator who has worked at an international and highly strategic level across a range of organisations. Robert first came into contact with PRS for Music during his time at Sony where he was responsible for licence negotiations. 

Robert Ashcroft said “I’m very excited to join PRS for Music, an organisation which plays such a necessary and valuable role in the music industry.  I look forward to working closely with the team to continue the work of supporting songwriters, composers and music publishers and protecting the value of creative content in a rapidly changing world.”

The Boards would also like to thank Jeremy Fabinyi, who has been Acting Chief Executive, for his commitment and expertise in stepping up to lead the organisation through the interim period.  Jeremy will remain in a prominent position within PRS for Music, working closely with Robert.