On the Move: Changes afoot at Shazam, Saga Communications, Rhode Island Public Radio, Rdio, and Google Play

On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry.


Shazam’s CFO departs: Keith Lovell has left his position as CFO of Shazam. Financial Times reported that Lovell is departing after more than nine years at the music ID company to take up the same role at a startup called TrialReach, which is working to revamp clinical research for pharmaceuticals. No word yet on who might step in to fill Lovell’s shoes at the music app.

Nystrom upped to VP at Saga: Matt Nystrom has been promoted within the Saga Communications team. He will now serve as the company’s vice president of digital media. Nystrom initially joined Saga in 2008 as lead content manager and most recently held the post of interactive operations director. He is also confirmed as a guest speaker at RAIN Summit Atlanta on Sept. 29.

New president for RI public radio: Rhode Island Public Radio has named a new leader. Torey Malatia will assume the role of president, CEO, and general manager for the station. With a career of more than two decades in public radio, Malatia was most recently the CEO at WBEZ/Chicago Public Media.

Biz dev leader leaves Rdio for Google: Alex Vlassopulos has departed his position as Rdio’s VP and head of business development for the EMEA region. He will be transitioning to rival Google Play as that streaming service’s music business development manager for the same geographic area. In this new role, he will be in charge of overseeing distribution and partnerships for Google’s branded entertainment services.

Anna Washenko