Facebook Nabs Top YouTube Executive To Lead Global Music Strategy

Facebook has tapped Tamara Hrivnak — who most recently served as the director of music partnerships at YouTube and Google Play — to lead global music strategy and business development. “This is a new adventure for me and I look forward to deepening Facebook’s relationship with the music industry,” Hrivnak wrote in a Facebook post.

The hiring suggests that Facebook may be looking to license music, according to Billboard. While music videos have become increasingly popular on the platform over the past year, most are not currently licensed. Billboard reported last month that Facebook was working on a copyright system — not unlike YouTube’s Content ID — that would remove videos with copyrighted music.

Hrivnak, a music lawyer who has worked on licensing deals, was at Google for roughly six years, and reported to YouTube’s chief business officer, Robert Kyncl

. Prior to joining Google, she was vice president of digital business affairs and strategy at Warner/Chappell Music.

“Facebook is all about making the world more open and connected and music can play an important role — I’m excited to join that effort,” Hrivnak said. In September, YouTube named industry veteran Lyor Cohen global head of music. At the time, Cohen said he would serve as a mediator of sorts between YouTube and the music industry amid a changing technological landscape. He also said he hoped to to break new songs and artists on YouTube, and build on the success of the YouTube Music app.