Spotify hires former Beats Music’s former head of product

Spotify has hired Fredric Vinna, a former Beats Music bigwig who was head of product, engineering and design at the headphone company, according to CNET. Sources speaking to the news outlet claim Vinna will fill a similar position he had with Beats, using his talent and prior experience to help grow the Sweden-based Spotify service, which has become one of the industry’s biggest since launching in 2008. 

The rivalry between Spotify and Beats Music, two key streaming music services, is deepening. Spotify has hired Fredric Vinna, Beats Music’s former head of product, engineering and design, according to a person familiar with the matter. Vinna left Beats Music just recently — his LinkedIn page still lists his job there as current — and will be joining Spotify to work on product there as well, according to this person. Vinna has been described by Beats Music Creative Director Rob Sheridan as one of the few central people in a “scrappy room of enthusiastic creators” when the new music service was being conceived and developed. Beats Music declined to comment. Vinna couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.