Aussie Rachel Newman Named Co-Head Of Apple Music

Australian music industry professional Rachel Newman is the new Co-Head of Apple Music, sharing the position with Ole Obermann. Together, the pair will report to Apple Vice President Oliver Shusser.

As reported by Variety, Newman has worked at Apple Music for over 16 years, most recently serving as Global Head of Content and Editorial. Her career at Apple began when she was the Manager of iTunes’ music division in Australia and New Zealand, which opened the door for her to become the Head of Global Content Strategy.

Meanwhile, Obermann joins Apple after departing his role as Global Head of Music Business Development at ByteDance, initially starting as Vice President and Global Head of Music at TikTok.

Obermann has held the reins at TikTok as the video-sharing company faced tumultuous negotiations with Universal Music Group last year, as well as their dispute with digital rights agency Merlin. TikTok has also come under fire from the US government, while Australia will implement a social media ban for teens under 16, starting in December this year.

In the land of Apple Music, the streaming service has grown to be more than a powerful DSP. Since 2022, the company has been the leading sponsor and partner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. This year’s Halftime Show was headlined by Grammy Award-winning rap sensation Kendrick Lamar, who brought out special guests including SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and Mustard.

In 2019, Rachel Newman ranked #10 on The Music’s Power 50.

After three years as Program Director at XYZ Networks, Newman joined Apple in 2009 as the Manager for iTunes in Australia and New Zealand. In 2011, she was promoted to General Manager for iTunes in Australia and New Zealand. By the end of 2018, she had become the Global Director of Editorial at Apple Music.

As Apple Music's Australian leader, Newman has maintained the company’s strong ties to the Australian music industry.