# Shamal Ranasinghe

> Shamal Ranasinghe is the Chief Business Officer at Audius, the decentralized blockchain-based music streaming platform. A 25-year music-tech veteran, he co-founded Topspin Media in 2007 - one of the first direct-to-fan platforms for musicians - before spending eight years as VP of Product at Pandora/SiriusXM building creator tools. At Audius, he leads major label and publishing deals, including a landmark global licensing agreement with Kobalt Music in 2024, while championing a world where artists own their music, keep 90% of revenue, and connect directly with fans without gatekeepers.

- **Role:** Chief Business Officer at Audius
- **Organizations:** Audius, Topspin Media, Pandora, SiriusXM, Yahoo! Music, Musicmatch, RealNetworks, Berklee Online
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** MBA, Music and Media Industries, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, BA, Economics and Political Science, Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Topspin Media in 2007, pioneering the direct-to-fan model that reshaped how musicians sell music and merchandise, Built Pandora's AMP (Artist Marketing Platform), creating data and marketing tools for artists and labels, Negotiated global licensing deal between Audius and Kobalt Music (September 2024) - a milestone Web3 music licensing agreement

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Began career working to advance music through digital products and services
- **1999** — Joined RealNetworks as an early member of the RealJukebox MP3 Player team
- **2002** — Connected with Peter Gotcher (co-creator of Pro Tools) and began incubating the Topspin concept
- **2004** — Led product team at Yahoo! Music focused on data mining applications for the Media division
- **2004** — Held Head of Product Management role at Musicmatch
- **2007** — Co-founded Topspin Media with Peter Gotcher - one of the first full-service direct-to-fan platforms for musicians
- **2015** — Joined Pandora (later SiriusXM) as VP of Product Management, Catalog and Creators; developed the AMP (Artist Marketing Platform)
- **2018** — Became an early advisor to Audius as the platform launched
- **2023** — Appointed Chief Business Officer at Audius (March 2023)
- **2024** — Led landmark global licensing deal with Kobalt Music (September 2024)

## Achievements

- Co-founded Topspin Media in 2007, pioneering the direct-to-fan model that reshaped how musicians sell music and merchandise
- Built Pandora's AMP (Artist Marketing Platform), creating data and marketing tools for artists and labels
- Negotiated global licensing deal between Audius and Kobalt Music (September 2024) - a milestone Web3 music licensing agreement
- Led music licensing partnerships with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, and ICE Services at Audius
- Berklee Online Faculty member, teaching the next generation of music industry professionals
- 25+ years working to advance music through digital products from the MP3 era through the blockchain era

## Latest updates

- **2024-09** — Led Audius to sign a landmark global licensing deal with Kobalt Music, one of the world's largest independent music publishers
- **2023-03** — Appointed Chief Business Officer at Audius, departing SiriusXM/Pandora after 8 years
- **2023-01** — Audius expanded licensing agreements with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, and ICE Services

## Links

- Website: https://audius.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shamalr
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/shamalman

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shamal-ranasinghe
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13