2.13.07: Yahoo Music execs resign
By Richard Koman - February 13, 2007
UPDATE: Here's the official statement from Yahoo:
Statement: David Goldberg and Robert Roback, Vice Presidents and General Managers of Yahoo! Music, have resigned. As the founders of LAUNCH Media and the leaders of Yahoo! Music, Dave and Bob have made significant contributions to Yahoo! and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Vince Broady, Head of Entertainment and Games at Yahoo!, will now oversee Yahoo! Music.
Dave Goldberg:
“I have made a personal decision to resign as Vice President and General Manager of Yahoo! Music. After 13 years in this industry, Bob Roback and I look forward to going back to our entrepreneurial roots. I will help in the transition to new leadership, and I am proud to have led an exceptional team of music professionals. I wish them continued success.”
Bob Roback
“I have decided to leave Yahoo! Music with my business partner of 13 years, David Goldberg to go back to my entrepreneurial roots. I am grateful to our devoted team for the years of hard work and dedication which made Yahoo! Music the #1 music site and I wish them the best of luck.”
Last week Tom reported on a conversation with Dave Goldberg, head of Yahoo Music, about the future of DRM. Today, ValleyWag reports that Goldberg and No. 2 Bob Roback "resigned."
Given the big reorg and the heavy pressure on Wall Street, is this a sign of a larger purge? Or is it just because Goldberg came out against DRM in that conversation? Here's what he said to Tom, after Steve Jobs called for the end of DRM:
"I've long advocated removing DRM on music because there is already a lot of music available without DRM, and it just makes things complicated for the user." He said that Yahoo Music has done experiments where it has offered music with or without DRM, and that removing DRM boosts music sales.He said that the Microsoft DRM that Yahoo Music uses "doesn't work half the time."
By Richard Koman - February 13, 2007 | Permalink | Comment
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Comments (1)
Interesting. Dave Goldberg told me that two days before Steve Jobs came out against DRM and it is a position he has held for at least a year. Maybe he left Yahoo because he didn't like its position on China and informing on its users in a manner that Reporters without Borders described as a "police informant."
Posted: February 13, 2007 10:41 AM