Rob Harvey

North New Jersey native Rob Harvey began interning and then working full-time as a publicist for the RIAA's Gold and Platinum awards department while still a journalism student at the University of Maryland. He segued to promotion jobs at Interscope Geffen A&M and then as VP Top 40 at Republic and Island Records before taking his current post at Spotify, where he is part of the team under Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter, a longtime colleague.

I worked at the RIAA once, too, when it was in New York.

I was part of the team that rolled out the Diamond Award for 10 million in sales. (Chuckles) We've come a long way since then.

What led you to leave the traditional record business to join Spotify?

I made a conscious decision at the end of 2015 to move on from terrestrial radio promotion. There were two directions I wanted to explore. One was to work for Spotify; the other to work with Troy [Carter]. Spotify was the future of the music business and Troy was the one person who parlayed a successful career in music into a simultaneously successful career in venture capital. Venture is another industry I follow closely. I've read every start-up and lean manufacturing book, as well as follow all the blogs. The venture and record businesses are very similar; both industries are tasked with building brands. In the record industry, that means music brands; in the venture business, it involves every other brand. Anyway, the conversations between Troy and I began, and here we are.

This job combines your entrepreneurial spirit with your expertise in the music business.

Precisely. In recent years on the label side, I was using Spotify data to help break and develop artists. That was the future to me, and I wanted to be inside that building, helping shape where the business was headed.

Your current position combines artists and labels under one roof, which were separated prior to your coming there.

Correct. Previously Artist Services and Label Relations were separate divisions. Shortly after arriving, it was clear having two segmented teams talking to the industry was not as effective as one united front. Collectively, the department is responsible for all releases globally as well as owns all artists, management and label relationships.

So you're mostly charged with educating artists and labels as to how Spotify can help them achieve their goals.

Education is part of it. It's vital the creators and industry understand our capabilities and how the platform works, whether talking our ability to target, how playlists work or the date we collect and how best to navigate it. Understanding the platform is key. We are also educating by example. We've launched a number of record-breaking campaigns over the last few months --The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran as examples -- while simultaneously helping artists break globally from basically their basement. Whether you're signed to a major, indie or just starting out, we can help. Important the music ecosystem knows this.

How can Spotify and traditional terrestrial radio support and interact with one another?

Many of our goals are aligned. For instance, our shared ability to connect artists and their music to new and existing fans. Terrestrial radio and Spotify are both destinations users come to to consume music, but for the most part, that's where the similarity ends.

You're both distribution mechanisms to a degree, with elements of promotion and marketing.

Yes, but there are major differences. As an example, Spotify editors have instant, real-time exacting audience data that they use in programming. Our playlists mirror audience demand, the value of which is extraordinary.

How do you view the competition in streaming music? Is there room for more than one dominant player on an Internet that seems to favor one per category?

There is definitely room for more than one streaming service. Not every consumer wants the same thing in a product. Furthermore, competition challenges us all to be better to both the listener and the creator. But truth be told, our only goal is constantly outdoing ourselves. Our team is laser-focused on providing the absolute best user experience, platform for artists and overall strategic partnership for the creator community. And that's exactly what we're doing.

What sorts of developments are in the cards for the future at Spotify?

Our efforts and innovations are all focused on the user and the creator experience and evolving our platform to better serve both. Whether done through playlist customization - like "Release Radar" or "Discover Weekly" - or giving an artist the ability to sell merchandise and tickets through the platform, we are working towards enhancing everything Spotify can offer to our users and partners. On December 30th last year, the Shows & Editorial, Original Content and Creator Services teams came together to test video integration in New Music Friday. The response was incredible.

What do you see as the role of terrestrial radio and record labels moving forward in a world where you can reach the consumer directly?

Consumption and consumer behavior has changed dramatically over the last few years. In addition, artists and fans are more connected than ever, in real time. Terrestrial radio still has a role; it's just different than it was years ago. Record companies are an incredibly valuable partner to both of us. They had a tough time with the evolution of the value chain, but have evolved in so many ways. It's great to see the industry thrive again.

How can the record labels best utilize Spotify's assets?

Get us the music early, share your market plans and be transparent. There are no rules, by the way. If the strategy is to release single one and the following week a gratis track, no problem. Or, drop two singles at the same time, like Ed Sheeran. We got it. Take the Chainsmokers. By releasing one song every six to eight weeks, they've become one of the biggest artists on the platform. Labels and artists are pushing the envelope like never before and we're right there with them.

Can't Spotify even help pick singles based on user reaction? Has this kind of data ever been available before on such a comprehensive, transparent basis?

Something I touched on earlier is our ability to, in real time, read the audience. This is invaluable from a programming perspective, but also invaluable to the label, manager and, most importantly, the artist. For example, how a song is reacting, where the audience is located or whether listeners are saving music. There's an immeasurable amount of value in our data and we are constantly developing ways to share this information with our partners.