UTOPIA MUSIC APPOINTS ALAIN COUTTOLENC, ACCOMPLISHED BUSINESS LEADER, AS CEO TO DRIVE INNOVATION AND GROWTH

• Alain Couttolenc has over 25 years of experience as a CEO, CDO, and Director across Europe and LATAM, spanning 89 countries. Couttolenc has a track record of maximizing growth across international media and data companies.
• Couttolenc will further develop Utopia’s solutions with and for the music industry by leveraging data to help music companies worldwide understand, reach, and engage with their consumers. He will focus on strengthening Utopia’s services by improving how data is processed and enhanced, as well as delivering clear and accurate data with the goal of creating added value and ROI for the music industry.
• Couttolenc will be based in Zug, Switzerland.

(Zug, Switzerland, 19/10/2023) Utopia Music, the Swiss music technology company, is proud to announce the appointment of Alain Couttolenc as its new CEO. Couttolenc, who will be based in Switzerland, brings over 25 years of experience as a highly successful global business leader with a focus on data and media.

Couttolenc started off as a DJ during the late ‘80s and brings a lifelong passion for music and the music industry. Prior to joining Utopia, he served as the Chief Development Officer at Ipsos, one of the world's largest data companies. There he spearheaded global M&A activities, joint ventures, cooperation agreements, licensing, and partnerships across 89 countries. His influence extended to external relations within the market research industry and influential organizations such as ESOMAR and the World Economic Forum.

Before his tenure at Ipsos, Couttolenc held multiple top leadership roles at Nielsen Media, a company that provides market research and analysis of media and viewer interactions globally, most notably as SVP for Latin America and then later as CEO Europe Nielsen Media. There he played a vital role in optimizing media spending with a strong emphasis on music analytics for added success.

“I’m honored to join such a dynamic company that is supporting the growth of my greatest passion – music. My main focus will be to contribute with what I know best: creating outstanding services by leveraging data and driving growth. The dedication and passion exhibited by the teams at Utopia, combined with the potential for innovation and growth, are truly inspiring. In close collaboration with the music industry, we will deliver outstanding products and services to our clients and all industry stakeholders across the globe. An important task will be to develop and build teams where people can deliver value and thrive in their roles – clarity, agility, and an open and honest culture will be extremely important for success.” – Alain Couttolenc, CEO of Utopia Music.

Couttolenc will focus on translating data into music intelligence by building smart and intuitive services to fully unlock the value of music through accelerated payment cycles, distribution services, and improved insights. He will further develop Utopia’s solutions to help music companies understand, reach, and engage with their consumers. Couttolenc’s extensive experience in utilizing data will strengthen customer services by improving how Utopia processes, enhances, and delivers clear and accurate data with the goal of creating added value and ROI for the music industry. Combined, these efforts will create further opportunities for generating more value to the music industry.

Mattias Hjelmstedt, who has been leading Utopia as its Executive Chairman since February 2023, will step down from his executive position and resume his former role as Chairman of the Board.

“I stepped into the role as Executive Chairman to guide Utopia through a tough but necessary transformation that was brought on by changed market conditions. I’m extremely proud of all the colleagues who have stepped up and delivered for our customers during this period. With a lot of this work being behind us, I’m now very excited to hand over to Alain. He has a long and successful track record as a global business leader and has a deep understanding of data and its implementation. Very importantly, he also has a background in media and music, and a wide international network. The Board and I are confident that Alain is the right person to succeed in realizing our mission to grow the music industry through innovative data solutions and unmatched distribution capabilities – that’s how we’ll reach profitability and achieve long-term sustainable growth.” – Mattias Hjelmstedt, co-founder and Chairman of Utopia Music.

Media Contact, Utopia Music
Karl Backlund, Corporate Communications Manager karl.backlund@utopiamusic.com

About Utopia Music

Utopia is a Swiss-based music technology company that develops advanced data-driven solutions for and with the music industry, with a mission to unlock the value of music through accelerated payment cycles, distribution services, and improved insights. Utopia helps music companies understand, reach, and engage with music consumers, globally. Utopia processes, enhances, and delivers clear and accurate data to create added value and ROI for the entire industry. That enables Utopia to help its customers know music and grow music.

Utopia Music’s distribution companies provide world-class physical and digital distribution capabilities, reaching 5,800 labels. Comprising award winning companies Proper Music Group and UDS (formally Cinram Novum), Utopia’s distribution services not only increase the reach of music, but provides deeper insights into sales and performance thanks to the simple and clear access to distribution data.