Power 50 - #7: Rachel Newman

Since the downslide of physical and digital music sales the world has turned to streaming services to light the path forward. At the end of that journey is Apple’s music arms and its Australian leader, Director Rachel Newman.

Joining the Apple team in 2009, Newman has overseen a dramatic shift in how the omnipotent company presents itself to an Australian audience. After a late start in the Australian market Apple Music has pushed ahead of its counterparts in many ways last year, contributing to a ve percent increase in the value of Australian music according to ARIA statistics.

In the last two years Apple Music has evolved from playing catch-up with Spotify to becoming a significant rival to the streaming service and even surpassing on it on levels of functionality, especially for its core Apple users. Its strategic control over the iTunes store to influence and suggest artists exemplifies the connectivity between all Apple devices – of which there are more than one billion worldwide.

To coincide with iOS11 updates, Apple announced new features for Apple Music that facilitate a more social experience on the platform, giving users the choice to create pro les and share music with friends.

Newman and Apple maintained strong ties to the Australian music industry in 2017 by, once again, partnering with the ARIA awards and presenting the Apple Music Album of the Year.

The monolithic company announced late in 2017 that they’re staking new ground in Australia with the plans revealed for Melbourne’s Federation Square location. The construction will be two stories tall and is predicted to be Apple’s most significant store in the Southern Hemisphere as well as providing over 200 new Apple positions.

While Apple might keep specific facts and figures close to their chest there’s no denying the ripples that the company made in the Australian music industry in 2017 under the guidance of Newman.