The Orchard, RED Join Forces Under Sony Music Umbrella

The Orchard: Becomes Sony's Indie Distribution Arm

SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT will combine its regional independent distribution groups around the world, including RED, into THE ORCHARD, and its various teams will unite as a single global team managed by CEO BRAD NAVIN.

The unified company will offer comprehensive service to the independent community with global reach and an experienced local staff in more than 30 markets worldwide. This includes in the U.K., where it was recently announced SONY MUSIC’s ESSENTIAL business will be integrated into THE ORCHARD, as well as in NORTH AMERICA, where the distribution division of RED, SONY MUSIC’s U.S. independent services company, will be merged into THE ORCHARD. All current RED distribution label managers and account executives will become part of the ORCHARD team and relocate to THE ORCHARD’s headquarters in NEW YORK.

THE ORCHARD now has the capabilities to provide labels and artists from anywhere in the world the full range of label and artist marketing, sales and distribution services, across all formats, platforms and territories, working with a roster that includes JOEY BADA$$, SLAYER, DAYA, KELSEA BALLERINI, FLUME, SKEPTA, DIET CIG, OMD, J ALVAREZ, NEGRAMARO and ALLMAN BROWN, with labels including THIRTY TIGERS, METAL BLADE, SOM LIVRE, RED BULL, MOM AND POP, NUCLEAR BLAST, FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL, COSMMOS MUSIC, FRENCHKISS RECORDS, RELAPSE RECORDS, SUGAR MUSIC and more.

Stated NAVIN, “Our newly merged company is unique in structure, scale and reach. Coming together as one company that is both truly global and locally-focused will allow us to take the service we provide to our artist and label partners to the next level. THE ORCHARD is the only global comprehensive digital and physical distribution platform with its own delivery, sales, distribution and reporting systems built specifically for independent clients. With a single deal clients have the ability to deliver their music to every leading global and local digital and physical retailer and reach music fans around the world.” 

THE ORCHARD has been steadily rolling out enhanced tool sets for labels to drive efficiency and revenue. These include source of stream analysis, physical and digital catalog management, and integrated data feeds to the ROYALTYSHARE artist royalty accounting platform. 

In connection with the creation of the new global structure for THE ORCHARD, RED in the U.S. is being refocused as a dedicated full-service marketing agency and label services company called RED MUSIC, led by President BOB MORELLI, which will provide ongoing marketing, promotion, product management and label services support to its existing U.S. label client base now distributed through THE ORCHARD, in addition to offering its suite of services to the wider independent community in the U.S.

RED MUSIC comprises an indie marketing and promotion group (formerly ‘STACHE MEDIA) as well as a frontline label services group (formerly RAL), which provides SONY MUSIC-backed labels and joint venture imprints with release planning, marketing and radio promotion.

Added MORELLI, “For our label and artist partners in the U.S., we are significantly multiplying the levels of quality service we provide with these exciting new changes. Not only will distribution clients now enjoy unmatched global reach as part of THE ORCHARD under BRAD NAVIN, but also our marketing and label services clients in the U.S. will now receive dedicated attention from the new RED MUSIC to make sure their releases are receiving highly customized solutions for the best possible profile in the marketplace. Taken all together we think this is a win-win for clients.”

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