EVEN Names Music-Tech Veteran Lauren Wirtzer Chief Operating Officer

NEW YORK, NY – October 9th, 2025 – EVEN, the pioneering direct-to-fan music platform, today announced the appointment of Lauren Wirtzer as Chief Operating Officer. A 20-year leader at the intersection of music and technology, Wirtzer has held senior roles at SoundCloud, UnitedMasters, Instagram, and Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment.

As COO, Wirtzer will lead company operations, strategic partnerships, and platform expansion as EVEN accelerates its mission to help artists monetize through superfan relationships.

“Lauren’s career is defined by uncompromising artist advocacy,” said Mag Rodriguez, founder and CEO of EVEN.

“From the surprise launch of Beyoncé’s visual album to building UnitedMasters’ independent infrastructure and evolving SoundCloud’s artist-first strategy, she’s consistently been ahead of where music is going. Her operational rigor and strategic vision are exactly what EVEN needs as we scale direct-to-fan infrastructure globally.”

Wirtzer joins at a pivotal moment for EVEN. The company recently announced distribution partnerships with Too Lost and Secretly, expanding platform access to hundreds of thousands of artists. EVEN also became the first superfan platform to report sales to Luminate for Billboard® chart eligibility, cementing its role as critical infrastructure in the modern music economy.

“Throughout my entire career, I’ve believed that artists deserve ownership, access, and the ability to thrive on their own terms," said Wirtzer.

"EVEN is creating a parallel economy by giving artists daily payouts, direct fan relationships, and ownership of their data. I’m thrilled to join Mag and the team to scale this vision globally and help artists at every level build sustainable” careers.

A Track Record of Building Artist-First Platforms

Before joining EVEN, Wirtzer served as Chief Content and Marketing Officer at SoundCloud (2021 to 2023), leading artist relations, brand partnerships, and the evolution of fan-powered royalties. She was previously President of UnitedMasters, scaling the platform to 1M+ artists and launching a landmark partnership with TikTok. Earlier, as Head of Music Partnerships at Instagram, she connected artists to over a billion users and led breakthrough campaigns for Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. Wirtzer’s foundational experience includes a decade at Def Jam and serving as Head of Digital at Parkwood Entertainment, where she was instrumental in the surprise 2013 release of Beyoncé’s self-titled visual album, then the fastest-selling album in iTunes history and a blueprint for modern releases.

She has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, featured on Billboard’s Power 100 and Women in Music, and served as Chair of the Music Business Association board.

EVEN's Growing Impact

Launched publicly in April 2024, EVEN powers direct sales of music, merch, and exclusive experiences before streaming release. Artists receive daily payouts, retain fan-data ownership, and can offer pay-what-you-want tiers to reward superfans. The platform is used by major and independent artists, including J. Cole, 6LACK, Chance the Rapper, Mt. Joy, LaRussell, and thousands of emerging creators, many earning more from hundreds of superfans than from millions of streams.

About EVEN

EVEN is the infrastructure platform powering direct-to-fan music sales before streaming release. Launched in April 2024, EVEN now gives over 500,000 artists access through distribution partnerships across 3,000+ labels and distributors in 110+ countries, with fans paying an average of $20+ per release. The platform’s seamless integration supports 30+ global payment methods across 140 currencies and is the only superfan platform certified to report sales to Luminate for Billboard® chart eligibility. From developing artists earning their first meaningful revenue to established acts generating 2–3x their streaming income per release, EVEN serves the complete spectrum of musical talent. Notable artists include J. Cole, 6LACK, Chance the Rapper, Mt. Joy, and LaRussell, among others.

To learn more, visit even.biz

Media Contact: press@even.biz