Andreea Gleeson Stepping Down as TuneCore CEO

Andreea Gleeson is stepping down from her position as CEO of TuneCore, the digital music distribution service. The announcement was made in an internal memo on Wednesday, with company leadership transitioning to Romain Vivien, the Global Head of Music at TuneCore's France-based parent company, Believe. Senior executives Brian Miller, Chief Revenue Officer, and Luxi Huang, Chief Technology and Product Officer, will continue in their roles. A company representative confirmed that Gleeson's CEO position will not be refilled; instead, she will assume an ongoing strategic advisor role for Believe.

Gleeson's tenure at TuneCore spanned nearly a decade, beginning in 2015 when she joined as Chief Marketing Officer after previous roles at major retailers Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay Company. She was promoted to co-head and Chief Revenue Officer in 2020 before ascending to the CEO role the following year. Under her leadership, TuneCore expanded beyond simple distribution into artist development, launching initiatives like the TuneCore Accelerator educational program. In 2023, the company also commissioned "Be the Change," a significant study on gender-based inequalities within the music industry. Her influence was recognized in 2022 when she was honored at Variety's Power of Women: New York event.

This leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for TuneCore. Last year, the company announced that independent artists using its platform had collectively earned over $5 billion. However, in November 2024, it faced a major legal challenge: a $500 million copyright-infringement lawsuit filed by several prominent labels, including Universal Music Group and Concord Music Group. The suit alleges that Believe and TuneCore knowingly distributed unauthorized recordings from artists such as Ariana Grande and Kendrick Lamar. The company's representative declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. Industry analysts note that such lawsuits are becoming more common as digital distributors scale, testing the boundaries of copyright enforcement in the streaming era.

On the collaborative front, Gleeson helped steer TuneCore into the Music Fights Fraud alliance in 2023. This industry-wide anti-fraud initiative united distributors like CD Baby, DistroKid, and UnitedMasters with streaming platforms Spotify and Amazon Music to combat streaming manipulation. This move highlighted a growing industry priority under her watch. Believe, TuneCore's parent company founded by Denis Ladegaillerie in 2005, has grown into a major global player in digital music, specializing in label and artist services.

In her farewell memo, Gleeson expressed pride in the team's work, stating the transition was a mutual decision with Believe as the company enters its next growth phase. She emphasized TuneCore's enduring mission to empower independent artists. In a separate statement, Believe founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie thanked Gleeson for her leadership and lasting impact, affirming that the company's values, including advancing gender equity, remain a priority. He confirmed that the existing executive team would continue to build on TuneCore's momentum under the oversight of Romain Vivien.