Troy Carter is taking a high-ranking position at Spotify where he’ll compete head to head with Apple and Tidal for exclusive artist content as well as focus on the creation of original content.
Highly respected and well-liked, Philly native Carter came up through the ranks working for Puffy Combs and Def Jam, subsequently making a name for himself as an artist manager and tech specialist. Lady Gaga, John Legend, Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor all rose to prominence under his stewardship.
Trainor will be going with Jeffrey Azoff’s recently formed management team, joining initial client Harry Styles.
Carter is believed to have settled out with Waddell & Reed, the investment firm that had bought a piece of his company. He’ll maintain offices to oversee the technology investment division of his company, Atom Factory.
Carter becomes the latest industry executive to align himself with a streaming company, preceded by Jimmy Iovine at Apple and Jay Z at Tidal. First rising to prominence as the manager of Lady Gaga, Carter currently oversees an artist client roster that includes Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Kamasi Washington. Also through Atom Factory, Carter has built a portfolio of investments that includes Spotify, Uber, Lyft and Dropbox. Rounding out the company’s other business holdings are soda alternative Pop Water and Smashd Labs, as accelerator program focused on nurturing next-wave tech firms.
