Spotify’s global head of creator service Troy Carter is leaving the company, TheWrap has confirmed.
“By all measures, Troy has made a tremendous impact at Spotify,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement. “When he joined our team, there was skepticism from the artist community on streaming overall. Troy has been instrumental in changing that perception and his efforts to establish true partnerships across the industry will be felt for years to come. “
Ek added the company is in “excellent position to build on the momentum” Carter helped establish.
“I came to this company to help bridge the gap between Spotify and the creative community,” said Carter in a statement. “Over time, that goal evolved from fixing a challenge to building a global team focused on changing the game for artists around the world, partnering with them to help bring their creative visions to life in new and innovative ways. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved but with so much accomplished, it was the right time to move out of the day-to-day into an advisory role.”
Carter will take his advisory role when he leaves his position in September. Variety first reported his departure.
Carter’s exit comes after the exec disagreed with Spotify’s decision to remove R. Kelly and other artists from the service’s curated playlists in May. Spotify had said it would exile artists from its playlists for “harmful or hateful” conduct.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that everybody didn’t agree,” Carter told the LA Times. “Spotify is one of those companies where we debate about everything just because it’s such a diverse company,” he added. “Everybody has different point of views. Everybody has different backgrounds.”
Spotify eventually pulled back on its decision in June, saying its policy was “too vague.”
Carter joined Spotify after managing artists, most notably Lady Gaga, for several years.