Ethan Kaplan

Ethan Kaplan is a seasoned digital transformation leader with extensive experience in the music, entertainment, and consumer products industries.1 He served as the Chief Digital Officer at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation from September 2015 to October 2022, a position he held for 7 years and 2 months.1

Career Highlights

Fender Digital: As Fender's first Chief Digital Officer, Kaplan was instrumental in creating and leading the company's new digital division.1 In this role, he:

• Functioned as the division's General Manager
• Managed engineering, product, design/UI/UX, content studio, QA, direct-to-consumer, and content departments
• Led the division from $0 to over $60 million in revenue
• Oversaw subscription systems (SVOD) and backend operations

Other Notable Positions:

• Currently serves as Chief Digital Officer at Universal Audio23
• General Manager / SVP of Music at Gracenote (April 2015 - August 2015)
• Head of Product, Technology and Engineering / Founder of Live Nation Labs at Live Nation (December 2011 - December 2014)
• Senior Vice President of Technology at Warner Music Group (February 2010 - January 2011)
• Vice President of Technology at Warner Bros. Records (June 2005 - February 2010)

Early Career and Education

Kaplan's career in technology began at a young age. At 16, he became the first webmaster at a major newspaper, The Orange County Register, where he helped launch their website and integrate digital publishing systems.1

He holds a degree from UC Santa Barbara, where he also worked as a Teaching Associate in the art department from 2002 to 2005.1

Current Roles and Expertise

Ethan Kaplan is now recognized as a digital transformation leader in music, entertainment, and consumer products. In addition to his role as CDO at Universal Audio, he serves as an advisor and in-house CTO at a $2B AUM VC firm.23 His expertise spans areas such as product development, engineering, design, and go-to-market strategies.

Query: What is Ethan Kaplan's current role?