Owen Van Nattaが突然にProject Playlistを辞めてMySpaceのCEOとして移ることになり、Project PlaylistはJohn SykesがCEOに就任する旨を発表した。SykesはMTVの共同設立者のひとりであり、VH1の元社長であり、また米国内最大規模のラジオ放送会社であるInfinity Broadcastingの前社長という経歴を経てきた。SykesはこれまでもPlaylistの取締役の地位にはあった。
Project Playlistの運営は明らかにうまくいっていない。昨年末にかなりの数のトラフィック数を発表した後、埋め込み用のプレイリストがMySpaceおよびFacebookの双方から削除され、トラフィック数も急減した。削除されたのは、大手音楽レーベルからの訴訟圧力によるものだ。Project Playlistは11月にCEOになったばかりのVan Nattaのもと、音楽産業界との関係を築きつつあるところだった。Sykesも音楽関係の経歴を積んできており、Playlistの進路を誤ることはないだろう。しかしVan Nattaの突然の退任はPlaylistにとって決して喜ばしいニュースではない。
プレスリリース全文を以下に掲載しておく（英文）。
Palo Alto, Calif., April 24, 2009 – Playlist, the leading social media network where over 43 million music fans discover, create and share playlists, announced today that Board Member and industry veteran John Sykes has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer. As a Co-founder of MTV, President of VH1, and CEO of Infinity Broadcasting, Sykes brings extensive operating experience and industry relationships to the company as it partners with the music industry to provide advertising, subscription and e-commerce services to music consumers.
Owen Van Natta will serve as an Advisor to Playlist.
“John was a pioneer of the MTV revolution that forever changed the music industry landscape by giving fans a whole new way to discover and enjoy music,” said Bob Zangrillo, Chairman of Playlist. “Playlist looks forward to leveraging John’s tremendous track record operating media businesses and deep relationships in the music industry as it builds out the world’s premier social media service.”
“Creating and sharing playlists has become a phenomenon in our culture. With over 43 million registered users, Playlist is the number one site where fans go to discover, share and enjoy their favorite music,” said John Sykes, CEO of Playlist. “Leveraging our newly forged partnerships with the music community, we can now offer consumers deep access to their music and provide the industry with powerful new revenue streams.”
Playlist, one of the fastest growing sites on the Internet, continues to establish partnerships with the entertainment industry in an effort to offer a comprehensive collection of content that can be discovered, shared and monetized at www.playlist.com.
［原文へ］
（翻訳：Maeda, H）
