Sami Valkonen

Currently at Google Sami heads the international music licensing function for Android with responsibility for relationships with record labels, music publishers and collecting societies. Previously at Sami lead licensing for Nokia’s Comes With Music service making it the fastest roll-out and broadest geographical coverage of any digital music service. With Sami’s personal relationships reaching key constituencies around the globe, he has been in the forefront of the much needed structural reform in digital music licensing.

Sami started his career in the late ’70′s as a musician and songwriter in his native Finland and had nationally charting hit in 1982. After immigrating to the United States in 1990, Sami served in various executive capacities with BMG through 2001 in Los Angeles, Lisbon and New York, including as Senior Vice President of New Media and Business Development. Upon leaving BMG Sami dedicated his attention to the law and pursued entrepreneurial opportunities and also worked as an attorney at the premier law firm of Jenner & Block representing major music and motion picture companies against illegal file sharing sites.

Sami has three post-graduate degrees: M.Sc. (econ) from the Helsinki School of Economics, an MBA from UCLA, and a Juris Doctor degree from NYU.