Yahoo Music Loses Two Key Execs

At a difficult time for music subscription services, two key executives are departing Yahoo Music. David Goldberg and Robert Roback, vice presidents and general managers of Yahoo Music, have left the company for what they say are personal reasons.

"David Goldberg and Robert Roback, vice presidents and general managers of Yahoo Music, have resigned," a Yahoo spokeswoman said. "Dave and Bob have made significant contributions to Yahoo and we wish them all the best."

Goldberg and Roback have been with Yahoo since 2001, when it acquired the company they founded, Launch Media. Tech gossip blog Valleywag first reported the resignations on Tuesday.

"After 13 years in this industry, Bob Roback and I look forward to going back to our entrepreneurial roots," Goldberg said in a prepared statement released by Yahoo. "I will help in the transition to new leadership," he added.

Vince Broady, head of entertainment and games at Yahoo, will oversee Yahoo Music, according to the company.

Despite its leading position in the subscription market, Yahoo has attempted to keep its music service up to date with dynamic social networking trends. Earlier this month, Yahoo released a new version of its music software application, the Yahoo Music Engine. With the upgraded version, playlists can now be shared with friends by e-mail or Yahoo Messenger. Users can choose to make playlists public to the Yahoo Music community. Members can also browse the playlists of friends, and search for user-created playlists by artist, song, or keyword.

Success has been far from guaranteed for Yahoo Music and its rivals. Last month, AOL unloaded its own music service onto Napster. The deal was a clear admission of AOL's failure to compete in the space, analysts said. Also in January, Virgin Group's digital music service, Virgin Digital, shut down amid sluggish growth. (Virgin is directing its existing customers to Napster, per a deal reached between the two companies.)

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