Jeff King, Chief Operating and Corporate Development Officer of SOCAN, has been named Chair of the Board of DDEX, the international standards-setting organization dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry. He succeeds Paul Dilorito, the former Director of Innovation and Partnerships at PRS for Music.

“I’m honoured to have been elected to the role of Chair at such a pivotal time in the music industry, when the mandate to standardize metadata has become even more critical to identify and deliver global digital royalties back to music creators,” said King. “On behalf of myself and the DDEX Board, many thanks to Paul Dilorito for his work with us over the years and his leadership in so many areas of the organization.”

Named COO of SOCAN in 2011, King is responsible for strategy, licensing, distribution, international, information technology and corporate planning. As Canada’s largest rights management organization, SOCAN connects more than four million creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals. Additionally, King led acquisitions expanding SOCAN’s capabilities with subsidiaries in -Seattle and New York that provide back-office and content-fulfilment services to the music ecosystem. Since first joining SOCAN in 2001 as Director of Distribution, Jeff rose through the organization, leading initiatives that significantly heightened member and licensee satisfaction. As Vice President of Licensing, Jeff developed a robust strategic plan to expand SOCAN’s customer base and increase efficiency. As Vice President of Membership, Jeff led the development of a number of industry-leading e-commerce tools and the creation of SOCAN’s Information Centre. Jeff holds an BA Honours from Wilfrid Laurier University and has been keynote speaker at several international conferences on innovation and free trade.

The DDEX Board is made up of executives from the 19 charter members of the organization, which in addition to King include representatives from Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobalt Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Spotify AB, the Universal Music Group, the Warner Music Group, and our colleague music rights organizations ASCAP, BMI, GEMA (Germany), PRS for Music (England), and SACEM (France). DDEX develops international standards in the digital value chain, from initial recording through distribution and reporting, as well as other types of business transactions in particular sectors of the industry. The standards are being used by all the major players in the digital music industry as well as most smaller organizations and startups. DDEX members participate in regular working group meetings to refine current standards and develop new ones.