Ever since Rhapsody launched as a standalone company in 2010 after being a RealNetworks subsidiary, it hasn’t had an official CEO, although Jon Irwin was its figurehead as president until his departure in September 2013. Now, though, Rhapsody has appointed a chief executive. Well, an interim one: industry consultant David Hose, who will take the helm while Rhapsody searches for a permanent CEO according to CNET. The report notes that Hose has advised the likes of RealNetworks, Verizon and Siemens, while recently co-founding music/art/tech startup Soundwall. His appointment comes at a time of growth for the veteran subscription service, which reached 1.7m paying subscribers in April then 2m in July. The company has also been on the acquisition trail, snapping up Ex.fm and SoundTracking in August, and rolling out its ‘unRadio’ personal radio service that debuted with T-Mobile US in June. So the lack of a CEO doesn’t appear to have held Rhapsody back too much, but Hose’s appointment may boost its focus at a time of intensifying competition in the streaming music world.
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