• April 4, 2008

Ian Rogers, Yahoo's vice president of video and music applications, has left the Web portal to launch an online music startup called Topspin Media.

Disclosing the move on his personal blog, Rogers offered few details on the new venture, but said it would help independent artists make a living via digital distribution.

During his tenure at Yahoo, the company released the Yahoo Media Player, acquired Foxy Tunes and launched a new version of Yahoo Video. Faced with increasing competition, Yahoo in February scrapped its subscription music service, redirecting customers to Real Networks' Rhapsody service.

Rogers had championed the goal of creating a more open environment within Yahoo Music where users could easily recommend and share music and otherwise interact with each other.

--Mark Walsh