Believe has hired Mel Curley to lead its worldwide editorial and marketing partnerships. The Paris-based music company picked a former Amazon Music executive for the role, with New York City serving as her base. She will work under Chief Marketing Officer Darya Pourshasb.
Curley brings plenty of music streaming experience. At Amazon Music, she handled ties with over 350 indie labels, distributors, and artists. Her work also covered major promotional campaigns, giving her direct experience with both business partnerships and fan engagement.
Some of those campaigns were pretty notable. Justice performed at Accor Arena in Paris for a livestream, while TWICE became the first K-pop act featured on Amazon Music Live. Believe says both events set records, although it hasn't shared the figures behind those claims.
Her career also includes leading commerce marketing at Arista Records, where she managed streaming service relationships and artist growth efforts. Before that, she worked at Sony Music Entertainment, overseeing Spotify account activity for the company's full label roster.
The new job covers a lot of ground. Curley will shape how Believe works with digital music services and seeks fresh ways to promote releases. Artist Services, Label & Artist Solutions, and TuneCore will all fall within her scope.
And the idea goes beyond landing songs on playlists. Believe wants to make greater use of audience data, emerging promotional tools, and the wider range of features offered by streaming and social platforms. Finding listeners is one part of it. Helping artists turn that reach into lasting growth is another.
Curley sees changes in music discovery as a chance to create better campaigns. She plans to build closer relationships with platforms and focus on results that artists and labels can measure, rather than rely on promotion alone.
Pourshasb shares that focus. She views competition for listeners as a major challenge and believes Curley's experience with digital services can help Believe improve its global marketing work.
The appointment also fits Believe's From Access to Success strategy. Founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie has pushed for closer cooperation with companies such as Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube, with tools like Discovery Mode, Marquee, and Showcase playing a role in music promotion.
Pourshasb has firsthand experience in that area. Before taking the marketing chief position at Believe, she held senior jobs at Spotify and Sony Music. Her arrival followed Believe's acquisition of ampd Method, the marketing platform she developed.
There's been plenty of movement across Believe's leadership as well. Romain Becker took the Group COO position, while Elsa Bahamonde Bourgain became president of two of its main artist and label service divisions.
Romain Vivien has also gained broader duties as Global Head of Music. Three regional presidents covering EMEA, the Americas, and APAC report to him. Adriana Sein, a former ADA executive from Warner Music Group, leads the Americas operation.
On the corporate side, Believe is no longer publicly traded. A group formed by Ladegaillerie, EQT, and TCV secured majority control before purchasing the shares still held by public investors.
With more than 2,000 employees and operations spanning over 50 countries, Believe has a fairly large network for Curley to work across. Her task is to turn those platform ties into stronger promotional options for the independent music businesses and artists that use its services.
Curley brings plenty of music streaming experience. At Amazon Music, she handled ties with over 350 indie labels, distributors, and artists. Her work also covered major promotional campaigns, giving her direct experience with both business partnerships and fan engagement.
Some of those campaigns were pretty notable. Justice performed at Accor Arena in Paris for a livestream, while TWICE became the first K-pop act featured on Amazon Music Live. Believe says both events set records, although it hasn't shared the figures behind those claims.
Her career also includes leading commerce marketing at Arista Records, where she managed streaming service relationships and artist growth efforts. Before that, she worked at Sony Music Entertainment, overseeing Spotify account activity for the company's full label roster.
The new job covers a lot of ground. Curley will shape how Believe works with digital music services and seeks fresh ways to promote releases. Artist Services, Label & Artist Solutions, and TuneCore will all fall within her scope.
And the idea goes beyond landing songs on playlists. Believe wants to make greater use of audience data, emerging promotional tools, and the wider range of features offered by streaming and social platforms. Finding listeners is one part of it. Helping artists turn that reach into lasting growth is another.
Curley sees changes in music discovery as a chance to create better campaigns. She plans to build closer relationships with platforms and focus on results that artists and labels can measure, rather than rely on promotion alone.
Pourshasb shares that focus. She views competition for listeners as a major challenge and believes Curley's experience with digital services can help Believe improve its global marketing work.
The appointment also fits Believe's From Access to Success strategy. Founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie has pushed for closer cooperation with companies such as Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube, with tools like Discovery Mode, Marquee, and Showcase playing a role in music promotion.
Pourshasb has firsthand experience in that area. Before taking the marketing chief position at Believe, she held senior jobs at Spotify and Sony Music. Her arrival followed Believe's acquisition of ampd Method, the marketing platform she developed.
There's been plenty of movement across Believe's leadership as well. Romain Becker took the Group COO position, while Elsa Bahamonde Bourgain became president of two of its main artist and label service divisions.
Romain Vivien has also gained broader duties as Global Head of Music. Three regional presidents covering EMEA, the Americas, and APAC report to him. Adriana Sein, a former ADA executive from Warner Music Group, leads the Americas operation.
On the corporate side, Believe is no longer publicly traded. A group formed by Ladegaillerie, EQT, and TCV secured majority control before purchasing the shares still held by public investors.
With more than 2,000 employees and operations spanning over 50 countries, Believe has a fairly large network for Curley to work across. Her task is to turn those platform ties into stronger promotional options for the independent music businesses and artists that use its services.
