Downtown's CD Baby Appoints Industry Veterans Sean Hallarman and Craig May to Lead Product and Artist Development

In addition to new appointments, executives Jean Mischler and Whitney Thomas step into expanded roles across marketing, revenue, finance, and business operations

CD Baby, Downtown Music’s artist direct distribution and music services platform, today announced the appointment of Sean Hallarman as Senior Vice President of Product and Craig May as Senior Vice President of Artist & Fan Development. These strategic hires mark a significant step in strengthening CD Baby's leadership team and driving continued growth and innovation. Both roles report to CD Baby President, Molly Neuman.

Sean Hallarman brings extensive experience from his previous roles at Sonos, Meta and Amazon Music, where he contributed to key product development and strategy initiatives. At CD Baby, he will be responsible for leading the product vision and execution, ensuring the company delivers cutting-edge solutions to its artist community.

Craig May joins CD Baby from Downtown company FUGA, where he served as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Services. In his new role, Craig will oversee artist and fan development initiatives, leveraging his deep industry knowledge to enhance artist support, engagement, and growth.

“As CD Baby enters its 27th year of business, amidst the radically changing landscape for music artists and our partners at DSPs, we are so pleased to welcome Sean and Craig to our team to design and build a new experience for our customers and support their evolving needs in the industry,” said CD Baby President, Molly Neuman.

“For artists today, building fan relationships is right up there with making great music,” said Craig May, Senior Vice President of Artist & Fan Development at CD Baby. “At CD Baby, we’re finding ways to help them do both on their own terms.”

“CD Baby has always stood for empowering artists through innovation,” said Sean Hallarman, Senior Vice President of Product at CD Baby. “I’m excited to build on that legacy by creating the most intuitive and effective platform for artists to grow their fanbase and build enduring careers, keeping independent artists ahead in an ever-changing industry."

In addition to Hallarman and May’s new roles, Jean Mischler will expand her duties as SVP of Marketing to include Marketing and Revenue. Vice President of Finance Whitney Thomas will also expand her remit to include Finance and Business Operations.

Said CEO of Downtown Music, Pieter van Rijn, “CD Baby has been the first mover in the direct artist distribution space. The addition of Sean and Craig, as well as the expanded duties of Jean and Whitney are key developments towards the exciting transformations the company will be rolling out over the course of 2025.”