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No. 11
Eddy Cue &
Robert Kondrk
Senior VP of Internet Software and Services; Senior Director
Apple
Twitter: @cue
Leading A Digital Juggernaut…
Apple’s Eddy Cue (pictured) and Robert Kondrk are the people behind the world’s biggest music store, iTunes. Cue, who’s well-known in music industry circles, helped build and currently oversees iTunes as well as iBookStore, iAd, iCloud and the Mac App Store. Kondrk, a less familiar name, doesn’t handle day-to-day operations but is involved in the business development and economics of iTunes, according to one music executive with knowledge of his role at the famously tight-lipped organization.
Kondrk is said to oversee all entertainment products at iTunes (except the App Store) and has direct reports at entertainment stores worldwide.
Apple announced during its last earnings call that in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, iTunes generated worldwide revenue of $1.7 billion, up 55% from $1.1 billion a year earlier. Growth is coming from increased digital adoption-Apple sold 37 million iPhones and 15.4 milion iPads last quarter–as well as the expansion of iTunes into Brazil and 15 other countries in Central and South America in December. Apple has secured its place among the industry’s power players by frequently flexing its muscle. Through the years, iTunes has earned a reputation as an exacting and ultra-competitive retailer. When it comes to issues of pricing, marketing and exclusive content, iTunes gets what it wants.
Under Cue and Kondrk, the company stands to play a major role in the future of music: iCloud is Apple’s cloud-based media service that competes with similar offerings by Amazon and Google; iTunes Match is a new service that for $25 per year provides an online duplicate of a person’s music collection. Both services work hand in glove with the world-leading iTunes music store, giving users anywhere-anytime access to their music downloads. No matter how much digital music changes in the years ahead, it’s a safe bet that Apple, Cue and Kondrk will be at the forefront.
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