Last month, we kicked off a celebration of FUGA’s 20th anniversary. Over the last two decades, we’ve grown from a handful of people in Amsterdam with an idea about how to better serve the music industry, into a global team of hundreds, supporting independent music businesses around the world.
There have been countless moments worth reflecting on and so many people to be grateful for over those 20 years. But chief among them is Marijn Meijles, one of FUGA’s earliest employees and the architect of the technology the company runs on to this day. Marijn passed away on December 26th last year after 17 years helping us get to where we are.
Marijn was with FUGA for almost all of its history, and his spirit will be with us always. He was the primary architect of the FUGA platform, building what’s become one of the world’s most powerful and far-reaching music distribution systems. He understood what we needed in those early days, and had the talent and vision to build something that could scale into something special.
Beyond a visionary technical talent, he was also just a really great person, colleague, and mentor. Our Head of Technology, Joost Calis, remembers a moment at a DDEX conference years ago when FUGA was highlighted by Apple for being first to market with a new feature. Whilst Marijn led the work, he turned to Joost with a bright smile and said, “You built that, Joost.” That was typical of Marijn: quick to give credit, generous with his time and perspective, and helping others to solve problems so they could move forward with confidence and peace of mind.
He’s a giant part of the company we’ve become, and his impact reaches far beyond our walls. As a contributor to the wider DDEX community, his work and advocacy for a more equitable and efficient ecosystem for artists and rights holders worldwide helped transform global standards for music distribution more broadly.
Marijn was a person of immense talent, extraordinary kindness and humour, and when his name comes up around the office, the feeling is a simple one: he was loved. There are many stories we have of him over the years, from camping at Lowlands festival, or solving a delivery problem over aeroplane Wi-Fi at 12,000 feet, to nodding off in a splits and payments meeting, or whizzing off in his wheelchair after team drinks at Molenpad.
Marijn’s influence runs through all of the stories shared throughout the FUGA 20 series. The quotes that follow offer a glimpse into what he means to us.
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“Marijn’s impact on us, and on our company, cannot be overstated. He built our technology with vision and care. Beyond his razor-sharp mind and generosity, he inspired us by how he lived his life. He chose to embrace everything with optimism, curiosity, and an unwavering belief in opportunity.” Christiaan Kröner
“I loved learning from Marijn and simply being around him. He shared his knowledge with such patience and kindness. Knowing him gave me a different perspective on life and a deeper appreciation for things I’d taken for granted. I’m deeply grateful for the moments we shared, which I’ll always carry with me.” Thomas Glas
“Through Marijn’s amazing, intelligent mind, his bravery, and his genuine personal interest in people, he was respected by everyone he engaged with. We miss him dearly.” Pieter Van Rijn
“Marijn’s legacy doesn’t just lie in his concepts and thoughts, but also in his personality, kindness, willpower, and unimaginable strength to deal with the hand that he was dealt. This is something that will live forever.” Joost Calis
“The first time that we worked together, I had never worked in a product or technology organization and, in more ways than one, I didn’t know what was going on. But the way I’d liken it is: you’ve never heard any music before, and you see a musician and think, ‘oh that’s great.’ But because you don’t have any reference point, you don’t know that you just saw Miles Davis. That’s how I would describe my experience of getting to know and working with Marijn.” David Driessen
“I always reflect on the days at Kraijenhoffstraat. Marijn would arrive, and I would storm into a meeting room where a shareholder or investor meeting was taking place, and I would just rip part of the table off to use as a ramp for Marijn to actually get in the building.” Martijn Meijer
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Marijn was a devoted father to his two sons, Stije and Kyan, and a loving husband to his wife, Katja.
As we look forward, Marijn’s contribution is all around us: in the technology he built, the people he mentored and the friendships that continue to mean so much. He will always be part of FUGA.
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