# Shachar Gilad

> Shachar Gilad is the co-founder and CEO of SoundBetter, a marketplace connecting musicians with producers, singers, songwriters and audio engineers. A musician, producer and former product marketing professional at Apple and Waves Audio, he founded SoundBetter in 2012, sold it to Spotify in 2019 and bought it back with co-founder Itamar Yunger in 2021. In 2026 SoundBetter launched Imagine Plugins, extending its work into visual audio software creation.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at SoundBetter
- **Organizations:** SoundBetter, Waves Audio, Apple, Fundtech, Seeds
- **Education:** MA, International Relations/Business Administration, New York University
- **Known for:** Built SoundBetter from a self-funded directory into an international marketplace., Led SoundBetter through its 2019 Spotify acquisition and 2021 return to founder ownership., Helped conceive, develop and market professional audio software at Waves Audio.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2012** — Worked in product marketing at Apple and as Director of Product Marketing at Waves Audio.
- **2012** — Founded SoundBetter, initially a directory of mixing and mastering engineers.
- **2013 (approximately)** — Itamar Yunger joined about a year after the project began; the service expanded into a transactional marketplace.
- **2018** — SoundBetter reported over $12 million delivered to musicians.
- **2019** — Launched Tracks in June; Spotify announced its acquisition of SoundBetter on September 12.
- **2021** — Announced the founders’ buyback from Spotify on October 8.
- **2026** — SoundBetter launched Imagine Plugins on May 19.

## Achievements

- Built SoundBetter from a self-funded directory into an international marketplace.
- Led SoundBetter through its 2019 Spotify acquisition and 2021 return to founder ownership.
- Helped conceive, develop and market professional audio software at Waves Audio.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — SoundBetter launched Imagine Plugins, a visual, browser-based audio plugin builder; the launch release identifies Gilad as founder and CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://soundbetter.com/about
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shachargilad

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shachar-gilad
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27