Spotify’s Daniel Ek and Troy Carter have been named Music Visionaries of the Year by the UJA-Federation of New York.
The execs will be honored for their ‘exceptional professional accomplishments and commitment to philanthropy’ at the annual Music Visionary of the Year Award Luncheon on June 13th.
Daniel Glass, President & Founder of Glassnote Entertainment Group and Vice Chair of UJA’s Entertainment, Media & Communications Division, said: “Daniel and Troy have been groundbreakers – not just in business, but personally, as well with their commitments to philanthropy, politics, and the arts.
“Daniel and Troy have been groundbreakers – not just in business, but personally, as well with their commitments to philanthropy, politics, and the arts.”
daniel glass, glassnote
“Besides their incredible vision of growing the technology of music distribution, they foster a culture of diversity, respect, and tolerance.
“We are proud to honor the two of them as they truly embrace the values that UJA exemplifies.”
Ek, a serial entrepreneur and technologist who started his first company in 1997 at the age of 14, co-founded Spotify in 2006 together with Martin Lorentzon.
As the CEO of the streaming company, Ek’s role is to guide the vision and strategy of the company as it grows.
Prior to Spotify, Ek founded Advertigo, the online advertising company acquired by TradeDoubler, having previously held senior roles at Nordic auction company Tradera (acquired by Ebay).
He was also CTO at Stardoll, the fashion and entertainment community for tweens, and has been involved with Charity:Water for nearly a decade.
Carter, who has spent 20 years in entertainment, previously managed Lady Gaga, as well as the likes of Eve, Lindsey Sterling, Charlie Puth, John Legend and Meghan Trainor.
He was named Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify in 2016.
With his Cross Culture fund, Carter has more than 80 investments in early stage start-ups — including Spotify, Dropbox, Uber, Warby Parker, and Lyft.
In 2015, he launched Smashd.co, a digital platform to inspire millennials, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts.
Carter also serves on the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees, the LACMA Board of Trustees and is an Art + Practice Founding Board Member.
The Music Visionary Luncheon attracts more than 600 executives and music talent every year.
Past performers include Eddie Vedder and Stone Gossard, Alessia Cara, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, The Weeknd and Jennifer Hudson.
Funds raised at the event are shared across various UJA efforts, ranging from its Music for Youth initiative, which enables and supports quality children’s music education programming, to its annual campaign, which supports the most vulnerable in New York’s community.
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