Neil West

Neil West is a digital music pioneer who specialises in helping organisations understand and navigate the evolution of entertainment, technology, and consumer behaviour. As former Head of Music and Head of Apple Services across Europe, he led iTunes to become the world's largest music retailer, co-founded the iTunes Festival, and steered the launch of Apple Music alongside services including the App Store and Apple TV+. His audiences gain practical foresight into digital transformation and emerging trends, learning how to anticipate change and adapt strategy through his blend of first-hand industry experience and forward-looking analysis.

During his tenure at Apple, Neil West helped reshape the global music industry, leading iTunes to become the world's largest music retailer and steering the European launch of Apple Music. Over more than two decades with the company, he held pivotal roles including Head of Music for Europe and Head of Apple Services across Southern and Eastern Europe, overseeing a portfolio that spanned the App Store, Apple TV+, Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, and Fitness+. Before joining Apple, he served as European Editor-in-Chief for Rhapsody, the world's first music streaming subscription service, and as Creative Director of San Francisco startup GarageBand.com. His influence was formally recognised in 2011 when The Guardian ranked him fourth in its Music Power 100, cementing his status as one of the industry's most significant figures.

Neil's career has been defined by an ability to anticipate shifts in consumer behaviour and technology long before they become mainstream. As co-founder and curator of the iTunes Festival, he demonstrated how digital platforms could create cultural moments that connected artists with global audiences in entirely new ways. His editorial background, including time as Editor-in-Chief of NEXT Generation, the leading US video games magazine, gave him a unique lens through which to understand entertainment, storytelling, and the evolving relationship between content creators and their audiences. This combination of creative vision and commercial leadership has allowed him to navigate the complex intersection of art, technology, and business throughout his career.

Neil works with organisations to help them understand not just where the digital entertainment landscape is today, but where it is headed next. His presentations combine first-hand experience from the front lines of digital transformation with analysis of emerging trends, giving audiences the tools to anticipate change rather than simply react to it. He explores how shifts in technology and consumer expectations ripple across industries, offering practical frameworks for adapting strategy and maintaining relevance in fast-moving markets. Audiences leave with a clearer understanding of the forces shaping digital content consumption, equipped with insights that help them make more informed decisions about innovation, customer engagement, and long-term positioning in an increasingly digital world.