CD Baby names Faryal Khan-Thompson senior VP of marketing

Boasting over 15 years of experience in marketing and the music industry, New York-based Khan-Thompson most recently served as vice president of international at TuneCore, overseeing the distributor’s scaling operations and product localisation in more than 30 markets.

Khan-Thompson will report to Christine Barnum, CD Baby’s chief revenue officer, and will be responsible for developing and overseeing the company’s marketing strategy, branding initiatives and international growth alongside evolving its extensive artist education and engagement efforts.

A strong advocate for artist welfare and building a diverse, global music industry, Khan-Thompson is an active advisor to UK charity Black Lives in Music and was this year’s recipient of the Women In Music Canada International Leader of the Year award.

“I am humbled and excited to be joining the CD Baby and Downtown Music Holdings team, especially during this milestone year,” Khan-Thompson said. “I am committed to building on the great work that has been done and positioning CD Baby as the leading provider of music distribution services for independent artists. I’d like to personally thank Christine Barnum, Scott Williams, Molly Neuman and Andrew Bergman for their support and trust in me, and for giving me this opportunity. “

“CD Baby has always been creator-first, and by aligning our growth with that of our diverse roster of artists, we succeed when they do. We’re proud to be celebrating our 25th anniversary alongside more than a million artists that work with us,” CD Baby president Scott Williams said. “We are thrilled to welcome Faryal to the team during this exciting time of transformation and evolution for our company and are confident that her leadership and vision will play a pivotal role in CD Baby’s continued success.”

Founded in 1998, CD Baby quickly established itself as a pioneering force in the DIY world. It was among the first companies to offer digital distribution to independent artists, forging early partnerships with digital music platforms such as Apple’s iTunes. In 2019, CD Baby’s parent company, AVL Digital, was acquired by Downtown Music Holdings.

CD Baby, which now serves more than 1 million active artists and holds a catalogue of nearly 12 million tracks, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

“CD Baby’s continuing mission to empower artists with the tools and support to succeed on their own terms has seen it maintain a series of artist-first pricing and development plans that put creator needs at the forefront,” a statement noted. “Its renowned suite of artist, promo and marketing tools is set to evolve in 2023 while the industry-leading weekly royalty payments and cost transparency remain. CD Baby has maintained its popular one-time fee and revenue share model, which favours synchronous growth, while also avoiding the hidden fees and recurring costs of a subscription model.”