Google has appointed the former president of Def Jam as YouTube's head of music

folarin okunola

September 29, 2016 12:34 PM

Lyor will be joining a line of other music executives that have made the switch to the tech side lately including Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine at Apple.

Lyor Cohen

Oh, ye hip hop heads. Lyor Cohen is now working for YouTube! Yes, music's most hated and loved Jew has been appointed as the new global Head of Music at YouTube.

In today's world of streaming, where exclusive releases and direct ties to artists are getting more important, Google is trying to give YouTube a boost with Lyor Cohen's appointment.

Cohen, who is a former president of famous label Def Jam, has most recently been running his own label, 300 Entertainment, which he started in 2013 with financial backing from various companies including Google.

According to a letter Cohen wrote to his staff, he will continue to run 300, which has artists like Fetty Wap, Migos and Young Thug on its roster, for another 60 days.

Lyor will be joining a line of other music executives that have made the switch to the tech side lately including Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine at Apple, Jay Z at Tidal, and according to Billboard, Lady Gaga's former manager Troy Carter at Spotify.

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At YouTube, Lyor will work on developing and maintaining the video streaming company's relationships with music companies and artistes as well. The bigger challenge will be to get YouTube to a good place with labels that are upset about the rates it is paying them.

In a letter to the YouTube team, Lyor says, "I'm confident that we can bridge the worlds of technology and music in ways that benefit everyone, instead of the zero-sum mentality that exists today."

This comes just as rumors circulating are suggesting that Spotify may be interested in acquiring SoundCloud, which is also facing similar challenges that pertain to merging user generated content and remixes with licensed major label songs - just like YouTube.

Earlier this year, YouTube claimed that it paid out a total of more than $3 billion to the music industry. Let's see how Lyor Cohen's magic can help push its agenda further.

folarin okunola