Peermusic Promotes Paul Smelt to COO

Indie music publisher and neighboring rights company Peermusic has promoted Paul Smelt to COO, it was announced Tuesday (Jan. 6).

In the newly created role, Smelt, who was previously COO of Peermusic Neighbouring Rights, will oversee the administration of publishing and neighboring rights for Peermusic’s global offices on a day-to-day basis. He’s based out of the company’s offices in Amsterdam and will report to CEO Mary Megan Peer.

Smelt joined Peermusic in 2020 after the company acquired Global Master Rights, the neighboring rights company he co-founded with Erik Veerman. In his previous role as COO of Peermusic Neighboring Rights, he helped develop the company’s proprietary neighboring rights software, leading an operations team based out of Montreal, Amsterdam and Biarritz, France.

Before co-founding Global Master Rights in 2014, Smelt worked at the neighboring rights organization SENA.

“Paul has been crucial in the integration of the three neighbouring rights companies we acquired in 2020 as their COO,” said Peer in a statement. “We look forward to his continued success as he takes on this role in supporting our publishing operations as well. Paul’s expertise and client focus make him a perfect fit for peermusic’s priorities. We are fortunate that peermusic can draw on the integrity and leadership that Paul brings in this newly created position.”

Smelt added, “It’s an honor to work alongside a team of people that are dedicated to creating firsts in this industry and that consistently inspire me by their knowledge, network and level of service to the music community. I am grateful that Mary Megan has entrusted me with this position and for the opportunity to honor Peermusic’s history of championing songwriters and artists for nearly 100 years.”