According to details shared with Digital Music News, former AdRev President Noah Becker is now a cooperating witness in the U.S. Government’s investigation into a $23 million YouTube royalty heist.
More details are now surfacing on the shocking $23 million YouTube royalty heist involving MediaMuv and monetization platform AdRev. On August 18th, Billboard discovered that AdRev co-founder Noah Becker had abruptly departed the company, with his name completely removed from the firm’s website. AdRev now lists Ben Kihnel as President, and it’s unclear exactly when the executive page was updated.
Billboard noted that Becker departed shortly after it published an in-depth article related to the scam and AdRev’s potential role in facilitating it. However, a former PR representative for both Becker and AdRev told Digital Music News that the departure was unrelated. “Noah was already exiting the company for totally unrelated reasons,” said Dmitri Vietze, CEO of publicity firm Rock Paper Scissors.
In emailed correspondence, Vietze clarified that he is not actively representing Becker or AdRev, but has previously handled media relations for both. Vietze’s communication strongly suggests that he is actively communicating with both. DMN has not confirmed the “unrelated reasons” for Becker’s departure.
