Tony van Veen

CEO at DIY Media Group

Havertown, Pennsylvania, United States

About

I've spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur in the independent artist and author spaces. You name it, I seem to have done it: I've lived through 5 music technology lifecycles (vinyl, cassette, CD, download, streams) and a couple of book ones. I've done manufacturing, printing, digital distribution, and rights monetization for music, merch, and books. I have rolled up my sleeves in every area of the business - marketing (copywriting, creative, budgeting, strategy), sales, HR (hiring, performance management, firing, layoffs, building high performance teams), operations, customer service, and I've learned enough about finance to be dangerous. I have managed strategy, goal setting, and tactical execution. I have started brands, killed brands, grown organically and through M&A, bought companies, and sold them. My company has been owned by an entrepreneur, two private equity firms, and now, by me and my exec team. I have advised independent content creators and company CEOs alike. All this at the only company I've ever worked at.

Experience

  • CEO at DIY Media Group
    Apr 2019 - Present · 7 yrs 3 mos

    DIY Media Group is the leading US platform of (mostly) physical media for musicians, authors, filmmakers, and other content creators. Our brands Disc Makers and BookBaby provide high quality CDs, DVDs, USBs, printed books, and eBooks to content creators who want to keep control of their IP rights and maximize their monetization potential.

  • CEO at AVL Digital Group | CD Baby | Disc Makers | BookBaby | HostBaby
    Jun 2012 - Present · 14 yrs 1 mo

    AVL Digital Group is the leader in self-publishing, distribution, rights monetization, and promotion for artists and authors. With dominant brands like CD Baby (digital music distribution), AdRev (online video rights management), Disc Makers (CD and DVD manufacturing), BookBaby (eBook publishing, distribution, and book printing), HostBaby/HearNow (web hosting and D2F commerce for musicians and authors), and Show.co (artist marketing and fan data capture for musicians), AVL Digital works with hundreds of thousands of musicians, filmmakers, authors, and corporate clients to help them get their content to market.

  • Audio & Video Labs, Inc | CD Baby | Disc Makers (7 yrs 6 mos)
    • CEO and President
      Aug 2008 - Jun 2012 · 3 yrs 11 mos

      Manage strategy and day-to-day operations at the two leading music services companies that serve musicians. CD Baby is the world's largest online indie music store and digital distributor, and Disc Makers is the #1 replicator of CDs and DVDs for independent artists.

    • President
      Jan 2007 - Aug 2008 · 1 yr 8 mos

      Lead all aspects of media manufacturing and marketing company, including strategy and execution of sales, marketing, project management, finance, IT, and operations.

    • EVP, Sales and Marketing
      Jan 2005 - Jan 2007 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for marketing, sales, project management, and hardware division. Drive company strategy, pricing, and strategic alliances.