Paul Hitchman

Paul Hitchman, Co-Founder & CEO, Playlouder and Media Service Provider (MSP)

Paul Hitchman is co-founder and CEO of Playlouder and Media Service Provider (MSP). A Cambridge Economics graduate, Paul worked in the music industry for 10 years (including stints at BMG and Warner Music) before founding Playlouder in 2000.

Playlouder is an award-winning digital music & media company that has consistently been at the forefront of innovation in online music services including the first legal music downloads in the UK, the UK’s first internet-only digital singles, and pioneering webcasts of live events such as Glastonbury Festival and Reading Festival.

In 2004 Paul co-founded Media Service Provider (MSP), a white label music channel partner for Network Operators that moves digital distribution of music into a new era by enabling a commercial partnership between Operators and music owners. The MSP platform offers subscribers on-demand downloading and streaming of music; search, discovery and recommendation applications; music library and playlist features; and social networking tools. MSP has been awarded the Popkomm IMEA award for innovation.

Paul co-founded and is a Director of Consolidated Independent (CI), the leading provider of digital supply chain services to the World’s premier independent music companies, with clients including Beggars Group, PIAS, RedEye Distribution, Mute, Naïve, Because Music, Razor & Tie, Windup Records and Demon Music Group.

Paul is also a Director of Playlouderecordings, a Beggars Group record label, and Director of Art for the annual Concrete & Glass arts festival.

Paul has provided strategic consultancy to a number of media and technology companies including Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC, Chrysalis Group, Entriq, Gerson Lehrman Group, the Soundtrack Company, Kobalt Music, Tunesmap and Global Cool.

Paul is a Fellow and former Council member of the Royal Society of Arts, and a regular speaker at music and tech industry conferences.