The Beatport Group Promotes Matt Gralen to President, Helen Sartory to Chief Revenue Officer as Business Growth Accelerates

11 January 2024 - Press release

 

The Beatport Group, the global leader in music for DJs, producers, and their fans, announced today the promotion of Matt Gralen to President and Helen Sartory to Chief Revenue Officer at the company, with both continuing to report to CEO, Robb McDaniels. In his expanded role, Mr. Gralen will work collaboratively with Mr. McDaniels on group wide strategy while retaining his role as Chief Financial Officer, and Ms. Sartory will now oversee all of the company’s revenue units, including: Beatport, Beatsource, Plugin Boutique, Loopcloud, LabelRadar, and Beatport Amp.

Beatport’s business has expanded significantly since Mr. McDaniels took over as CEO in 2017, with annual revenue more than tripling since the beginning of his tenure. This growth has been driven by momentum in Beatport’s core offerings for DJs and a diversification and expansion of the company’s product suite, which now includes offerings for producers, labels and fans. The Beatport Group has launched or acquired eleven new products since 2019.

“Matt and Helen have proven themselves as trusted leaders through building out our product portfolio, supporting our diverse team and culture, and delivering profitable growth,” said Robb McDaniels. “We believe that, just as streaming revolutionized the music industry in the previous decade, a significant shift to more engaged and interactive experiences is coming. DJs are the originators of this movement and all types of creators and fans are joining. I am pleased to have Matt and Helen take on expanded roles as we continue to invest in this future.”

Prior to his arrival at Beatport as Chief Financial Officer, Gralen served as EVP of Corporate Development at UnitedMasters, a distribution platform for independent artists. Before joining UnitedMasters, Gralen served as VP of Strategy & Operations at Mass Appeal, an entertainment company focused on hip-hop culture. Gralen’s career began at investment firms Raine Group and Goldman Sachs, where he advised and invested in high-growth consumer, media and technology companies.

Gralen steps into the President role while maintaining his current duties as Chief Financial Officer, taking on broader oversight of the company’s strategic planning, new initiatives and overall execution.

“Our team at Beatport cares deeply about the future of music for creators and fans, and we believe that strong businesses can help drive positive change,” said Matt Gralen, President of The Beatport Group. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity ahead and the team I work alongside. We all look forward to delivering for Beatport’s global community.”

Helen Sartory joined Beatport 18 months ago and most recently served as SVP of Creator Services, consolidating the company’s DJ and Producer brands under a single division. Before joining Beatport, Sartory led the U.S. expansion of The Rattle, an incubator for music technology startups and independent artists. Sartory has previously worked in investment banking at Greenhill & Co. before joining Lazard as Head of Emerging Technologies. She is also an active figure in the wider music industry, holding board and advisory positions at Association for Electronic Music, Music Technology UK, International Music Summit, and Feedforward.

In her new position as CRO, Sartory will be responsible for driving the next phase of The Beatport Group's growth strategy, as it continues to expand its business with new products, services, and territories, while further integrating and investing in the various products Beatport has launched or acquired in recent years.

“The last year and a half at Beatport has been incredibly rewarding,” said Sartory. “We’ve built innovative tools and technology for artists, producers and labels, and have increased incremental revenue opportunities along the way. I am looking forward to working with the entire Beatport team in this expanded role to continue to transform our business.”

The announcement follows a period of robust growth for The Beatport Group, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. The company achieved an all-time high in annual revenue in 2023, while expanding its already significant profitability and growing its global team.

Sartory and Gralen are based in Beatport’s London office.