​The article "Streaming Killed the Music Star" delves into the transformative impact of streaming services on the music industry, highlighting the pivotal role of leadership in navigating this evolution. As streaming became the dominant mode of music consumption, industry leaders faced the challenge of adapting traditional business models to align with digital advancements. This shift required visionary leadership to steer organizations through significant changes, ensuring sustainability and growth in an increasingly digital landscape.​

One notable example is Shabir "Shabs" Jobanputra, co-founder of Relentless Records. Reflecting on his extensive career, Jobanputra acknowledged the industry's near-collapse due to illegal downloads in the mid-2000s. Under his leadership, Relentless transitioned from vinyl to streaming, which now accounts for 95% of its revenue. This strategic pivot underscores the importance of adaptive leadership in embracing new technologies to revitalize business models.

Similarly, Steve Boom, as Vice President of Amazon Music, played a crucial role in transitioning Amazon's music business from MP3 downloads to streaming services. He led the introduction of Amazon Prime Music in 2014 and the rollout of Amazon Music Unlimited in 2016, exemplifying how proactive leadership can successfully guide a company through industry transformations.

These cases illustrate that effective leadership is essential in guiding organizations through periods of technological disruption. By embracing innovation and steering strategic transformations, leaders can ensure their businesses not only survive but thrive amidst industry upheavals.​

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shabir-jobanputra-the-day-the-music-nearly-died-scngqnhls?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.ft.com/content/d5424651-da3f-478d-be7f-ffe893a43222?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-top-music-exec-ole-obermann-is-leaving-2025-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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Leadership plays a crucial role in business transformation by driving innovation and adapting to industry changes. “Streaming Killed the Music Star” highlights how companies that embraced streaming early thrived, while those resistant to change struggled. Effective leaders anticipate shifts, take risks, and reshape business models to stay competitive in evolving markets.

Thandiswa Dlamini

The article you mentioned "Streaming Killed the Music Star" allows us a compelling lens through which to examine the critical role of leadership in business transformation. The rise of digital streaming disrupted traditional models of music distribution, rendering many legacy systems obsolete. Leaders in the music industry who failed to anticipate or adapt to these changes struggled or were eventually pushed out of the market. In contrast, those who embraced transformation demonstrated key leadership traits such as agility, vision, and a willingness to take calculated risks.

Leadership in business transformation involves more than just adopting new technology. It requires reimagining value creation, reshaping organizational culture, and aligning teams toward a shared digital vision. As highlighted in the article, leaders who partnered with tech innovators, understood shifting consumer behavior, and invested in data-driven strategies managed to not only survive the disruption but thrive in a new digital ecosystem. For instance, companies like Spotify and Apple Music owe their success not merely to technology, but to leadership that fostered user-centric innovation and bold strategic decisions.

Ultimately, the article underscores that effective leadership in times of transformation demands foresight, adaptability, and decisiveness. Leaders must move beyond incremental change and embrace systemic reinvention to stay relevant in rapidly evolving industries. The music industry's shift to streaming illustrates how leadership can either drive or derail transformation, depending on the capacity to respond creatively and strategically to disruptive forces.