Cournoyer’s headed to ElevenLabs, bringing his expertise in music and AI to the forefront.
In a significant move within the music industry, Derek Cournoyer has left his position at Kobalt, an independent music publisher, to take on the role of Strategy Lead for Music Business Affairs at ElevenLabs, a company specializing in artificial intelligence-driven music solutions. ElevenLabs operates Eleven Music, an AI music creation platform that leverages legally licensed songs to train its algorithms, presenting a direct competition to platforms like Suno and Udio.
This transition comes on the heels of a partnership established last year between Kobalt and ElevenLabs, in which Cournoyer played a vital role. Under this arrangement, Kobalt artists now have a chance to contribute to the training of the Eleven Music Pro platform. Additionally, ElevenLabs has entered into a partnership with Merlin, an organization that supports indie licensing.
In his new capacity, Cournoyer will be based in Los Angeles and is expected to influence ElevenLabs’ overall music business strategy. His responsibilities will include managing relationships with record labels, music publishers, and collection societies. Alex Haskell, General Counsel and Head of Global Affairs at ElevenLabs, expressed enthusiasm about Cournoyer’s addition, stating, “Few people understand the intersection of music and AI better than Derek. We’re ecstatic to have him onboard.”
With nearly ten years at Kobalt, Cournoyer most recently held the position of Senior Vice President of Global Digital Business, a role he assumed just last July. During his tenure, he was instrumental in shaping Kobalt’s strategies around artificial intelligence and the creator economy, forging partnerships with major players such as Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
In a LinkedIn post announcing his new role, Cournoyer expressed excitement about joining ElevenLabs. He remarked, “ElevenLabs has built one of the most advanced and widely respected AI audio platforms in the market.” He praised the team for their rapid progress and seriousness in advancing technology, indicating that his own joining of the company feels both timely and meaningful.
This appointment follows ElevenLabs securing a strategic investment from NVIDIA, one of the most valuable companies globally, with a market capitalization of approximately $4.4 trillion as of late September. Such financial backing underscores the growing importance of AI in the music industry and sets the stage for Cournoyer’s impactful contributions.