Hilbers will be expected to lead Napster through its next stage of development as a legitimate subscription-based online music provider. It is expected to begin trading in the summer.
During the last six months, Hilbers was chief administrative officer of BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann's music arm and home to Moby, Faithless, Puff Daddy and Dido.
Before working at Bertelsmann, he spent five years at AOL Europe. At the time, this was jointly owned by Bertelsmann and AOL. The German group has since relinquished control of its stake in AOL Europe, following the merger of AOL with Time Warner, a Bertelsmann rival.
Hilbers believes the experience he gained working at AOL Europe in the early days will stand him in good stead to develop the Napster model. He said, "I lived through all that, and that creates an asset that I can bring to Napster."