Music manager and Spice Girls creator, Chris Herbert, and music industry heavyweight Rick Riccobono have joined the advisory board of music technology start-up, Audoo.
The appointments come as the London firm seeks to update the distribution model of music royalties through technology, using an IoT device to music played in commercial spaces.
Talent manager Herbert developed girl group phenomenon Spice Girls and went on to manage 90s pop acts including, 5ive, Hear’Say and B*Witched, as well as Ivor Novello winning songwriters and producers.
Herbert said the poor distributed of music royalties has been an issue in the music industry for decades.
“I’ve witnessed first-hand the trials and tribulations musicians and songwriters have faced when it comes to receiving their fair share of royalty dividends, so I couldn’t be happier to join Audoo’s mission to ensure artists are paid fairly,” he said.
Prominent international music businessperson Rick Riccobono has over 30 years’ experience in music publishing and digital rights.
Audoo said Riccobono is globally recognised as one of the few music executives to bridge the gap between technology and music.
He has consulted many Fortune 500 companies, including Phillips/Sony Corporate Alliance, Sun MicroSystem and Universal Records, as well as advising major Performance Rights Organisations (PROs), BMI, STIM, Global Music Rights, and IMPEL.
He now advises AMRA, where he is focusing on service to the writer and publisher and supporting the value of music copyright.
“As a firm believer in leveraging the latest innovations to improve business infrastructure, I feel that Audoo’s proposition is necessary, and essential in propelling the industry forward,” said Riccobono.
The announcement of Herbert and Riccobono closely follows the arrival of PRS Chairman, Nigel Elderton, who joined the Audoo advisory board in July.
Audoo was created in 2018 by Ryan Edwards after he discovered his top 10 hit single was being played in a London department store, but he was never paid for it.
“Having Chris and Rick join our mission to make the music industry fairer for all has been a great privilege and an affirmation of our efforts,” said Edwards.
“The industry is in desperate need of a solution to improve performance royalty tracking and distribution for musicians, and with their help, we can propel the music industry to new heights by increasing fairness and transparency for all.”