Tom Allen moves to CTO, Downtown Music, Richard Leach appointed to President of Curve

11 April 2025 - Press release

● Allen’s move to CTO comes after he has held the position of interim CTO since the passing of Manan Vohra in April 2024
● Leach will lead Downtown’s efforts to expand its royalty and financial services across publishing and recorded rights


Downtown Music (Downtown) has today announced the promotion of Richard Leach to President of Curve and Downtown Royalties & Financial Services, following Tom Allen’s move to CTO, Downtown Music.

Leach previously served as Managing Director of Downtown-owned Curve Royalty Systems, and under his leadership, the business has firmly established itself as one of the industry’s most trusted royalty accounting software systems. Over the past twelve months, Curve has successfully integrated with multiple Downtown businesses and built out additional services, including the recently launched Curve Royalty Services, a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for labels, publishers, and distributors. This flexible service allows clients to outsource some or all of their royalty processes, simplifying accounting and reporting for artists and songwriters, with more than ten percent of Curve’s global client base utilizing the service shortly after launch.

In his new role, Leach will report to Downtown CTO Tom Allen and CEO Pieter van Rijn, and he will continue Downtown’s efforts to expand its royalty and financial services across publishing and recorded rights. With a focus on building Curve’s growth and capability enhancement, Leach will oversee the business’s tailored and innovative approach to royalty processing, payments, and accounting services, which is employed by record labels and music publishers worldwide.

“Downtown continues to make royalty services, accounting, and payments faster and simpler for Records Labels and Music Publishers around the world,” said Richard Leach, President, Curve and Downtown Royalties & Financial Services. “At Curve, we’ve innovated the infrastructure that powers the industry and provided greater insight and transparency into royalty transactions than ever before. I look forward to building on the continued success we’ve seen at Curve and working more closely with the entire portfolio of companies at Downtown.”

Leach’s promotion follows the appointment of Tom Allen to Downtown CTO. Overseeing Downtown’s group-wide technology strategy, Allen has held the position of interim CTO since the passing of Manan Vohra in April 2024. Allen co-founded Curve in 2019 and, following its acquisition by Downtown in 2023, served first as its managing director before launching and leading Downtown’s Royalties & Financial Services division.

“We’re at a really interesting moment in the music tech space, where what was deemed impossible five years ago is now becoming a reality. I’m honored to take on the CTO role and carry on the exceptional work started by Manan,” said Tom Allen, Downtown Music's Chief Technology Officer. “Richard has been with Curve since the very beginning, and no one knows our clients' needs better than him. Curve and Downtown Royalties & Financial Services are in exceptional hands.”

”Tom is a visionary leader with a deep understanding of technology, operations, and the needs of artists, songwriters, and the companies that support them,” said Downtown Music CEO Pieter van Rijn. “Richard understands the royalty and financial services space like few others in the industry, and Curve continues to play a critical role in the work that Downtown does. I’m excited to see him build on its extraordinary success.”