Apple Music loses hip-hop and R&B curator to Spotify

The curator responsible for Apple Music's hip-hop and R&B programming is departing for the service's chief rival, Spotify, a report indicated on Monday.

Carl Chery is credited with securing two critical Chance the Rapper exclusives for Apple, among them the album "Coloring Book," Variety said. "Coloring Book" is now available elsewhere, but for two weeks could only be streamed through Apple Music. Chance would later reveal that he was given $500,000 and a commercial in exchange for the "Coloring Book" deal.

Other achievements credited to Chery include building Apple Music's "A-List: Hip-Hop" and "A-List: R&B" playlists, and helping to break artists like Cardi B, Post Malone, and H.E.R. At Spotify it's likely that he will be curating the service's popular "RapCaviar" playlist, since the previous curator left for YouTube in March.

Chery first joined Apple in 2014 during its $3 billion Beats takeover. Prior to that he worked as a music journalist for outlets like XXL and BET.

Apple Music leadership appears to be in the middle of a shakeup, with Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine withdrawing to a consulting role and Oliver Schusser taking the reins — though not from Iovine, even if his role has never been firmly defined for the public.

The current look of Spotify on the iPhone.

In a bid to retain its dominance over Apple Music, Spotify is preparing to announce a major update to its mobile app at a press event next week, according to The Verge. It's unclear what changes the company might be making, but rumors have hinted at a better experience for free listeners and/or the company's planned voice control features.

22 Comments

fasterquieter 90 comments · 9 Years

About 6 years ago

I don't think Spotify need anything from Apple Music.

entropys 4302 comments · 13 Years

Does that mean curation loses it bias to hip hop and rap?

Hip Hip Hooray!

ihatescreennames 1971 comments · 19 Years

AppleInsider said:
Carl Chery is credited with securing two critical Chance the Rapper exclusives for Apple, among them the album "Coloring Book," Variety said. "Coloring Book" is now available elsewhere, but for two weeks could only be streamed through Apple Music. Chance would later reveal that he was given $500,000 and a commercial in exchange for the "Coloring Book" deal.

Serious question: does it take a lot of talent or skill to secure the exclusives when you have $500,000 and a commercial to hand someone? On the surface it seems pretty darn simple.

(BTW, $500,000 doesn't seem like all that much. A friend recently booked a private concert by The Chainsmokers (at a corporate event) for well north of that, for one night and a to a relatively low number of attendees)

Francules 122 comments · 6 Years

It’s not like he was good anyway lol

bitmod 267 comments · 11 Years

Spotify have by far the best curation in the business. Probably because they have the largest music library in the industry.

- Tidal's curation always ends with R&B - regardless of what genre you pick. Want classical Spanish guitar for sleeping... 5 songs in... here is some rapper screaming about his pubes.

- Apple's curation always ends with top 40 *yawn* boring as **** corporate spoon fed RIAA sanctioned puke. Elevator music is more interesting. It's the streaming service for mind-controlled prozac junkies.

- Spotify's curation always ends with never before heard bliss that reaches into your very soul to find the essence of your existence - sending you on a journey of discovery, an epoch to musical nirvana.

If Spotify ever goes CD or MQA quality - it's game over for Tidal.
AM will always have its niche of serving bland porridge to the drones - on their Homepods with just-good-enough fidelity that it doesn't reveal what lousy compressed sound quality 256 AAC is compared to 320 mp3 (which also isn't great).

*mic drop...