Orchard Adds 15 UK And European Labels

(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —

The Orchard has signed global digital distribution agreements with more than a dozen A-list independent labels based in the UK and Europe. These category leaders will tap The Orchard's distribution and marketing relationships with all leading digital music stores and services and the major wireless carriers. The labels bring a diverse selection of music ranging from classical music to soundtracks, jazz, rock/pop and roots music and include Aaliyah, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Urge Overkill, Johnny Cash and more.

The Orchard maintains digital distribution and marketing relationships with more than 100 of the world's leading digital music stores globally, including iTunes, eMusic, Napster, MSN, MusicMatch, Real/Rhapsody, and Yahoo! In addition, it has distribution partnerships with industry-leading mobile companies globally, including Sprint, Dwango Wireless, Zingy, 9 Squared, HIFI Ringtones, IAM Mobile, Securycast, Arvato Mobile and Hudson Soft.

"We decided to work with The Orchard because as an independent record company our focus had been on releasing CD's and we were not fully experienced in the world of digital distribution," said John Cooper, managing director of Acrobat Music. "So wanted to be with a company that we could trust to guide us through what we perceived to be a minefield and which would properly represent our aims and aspirations to the widest possible market. The Orchard has been this and more. We have put our trust in The Orchard to deliver Acrobat a presence in the digital market and they have not disappointed. We consider them not only as our friends but as a valued business partner. Last month we had a featured album on iTunes, and this was a fantastic event for an independent record company."

"The latest labels from Europe to choose The Orchard represent music from some of the greatest artists ever recorded, and cutting-edge acts that are the legends of tomorrow," said Greg Scholl, chief executive of The Orchard and managing director of Dimensional Associates, the company which owns The Orchard, eMusic and Dimensional Music Publishing. "The Orchard remains focused on our core strengths: marketing, operational excellence, and global reach, and this continues to translate into the greatest independent labels in the world entrusting us to establish them in the digital universe."

The newly-signed UK and European labels include:

** Snapper Records: Features more than 1,000 albums from
Aaliyah, The Yards, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Elvis
Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Santana, Miles Davis, Sun Ra,
Kool and the Gang and many more. The catalogue also contains tracks
from WASP, Ozric Tentacles, The Pretty Things, Peter Green and Cradle of
Filth;

** Maverick: Huge catalogue with classic jazz and soul, blues and
more with artists including Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, George
Gershwin, Bill Monroe, Thelonious Monk, Tony Bennett, Bill Evans, Stan
Getz, Chick Corea, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson among many others;

** Acrobat Music: A label specializing in fine quality jazz, blues,
doo-wop and country with artists such as Billie Holliday, Ray Charles,
Count Basie, Benny Goodman, The Drifters and John Lee Hooker;

** Stillwater with Fire Records: On the cutting edge of indiedom, London-
based Fire Records gained a reputation for inspired and often maverick
A&R. The label released many of the most influential UK and US artists
of the last 10 years including Teenage Fanclub, Spacemen 3 (later
Spiritualized), Blue Aeroplanes, Television Personalities, the Pastels,
Telstar Ponies, Urge Overkill, The Lemonheads, Gigolo Aunts, Thea
Gilmore and multimillion-selling bands, Pulp and Everclear. Batteries
now recharged, the new-look label has already unleashed a swathe of
eclectic records;

** Ala Bianca Group: Includes operatic treasures such as "Dal Basso Della
Terra" ("From the Bottom of the Earth"), an opera previewed to Pope John
Paul II, who was so enthusiastic about it that he authorized the
inclusion of his image and the introductory words: "Fratelli e sorelle
ascoltate questo messaggio di pace" ("Brothers and sisters, do listen to
this message of peace");

** Cinevox: An Italian label renowned for some of the most admired movie
soundtracks of the past three decades, including "La Notte", one of
Michelangelo Antonioni's cult movies, soundtracked with music by pianist
and composer Giorgio Gaslini, the grand old man of contemporary Italian
jazz;

** Tough Cookie: Features The Suffrajets, with former Babyshambles drummer
Gemma Clarke joined by Alex, Vicky and Claire in this all-girl hard
rocking outfit, already familiar to the Top Ten singles chart;

** Classico Records: A line of classical recordings focusing on world
premieres with more than 450 releases;

** Dynamic: Known worldwide for releasing music by the legendary
Nicolo Paganini; Dynamic is today the leading Italian recording company
for classical music. It has also become one of the foremost European
producers of operatic DVDs. In the last few years Dynamic has extended
its range to opera through partnerships with
Italian festivals and opera houses;

** Ayler Records and Silkheart Records: Ayler Records releases recordings
of live performances of improvised jazz music and the legendary avant-
garde hipster Albert Ayler. Silkheart Records are well known for
discovering great American jazz artists such as Steve Lacy, and creating
superb studio recordings;

** k-industria: One of the biggest independent labels in Spain with a
distinctive catalogue including the most successful modern flamenco-
fusion band Ojos de Brujo, the world touring Barcelona Band La Kinky
Beat and Muchachito;

** Talking Elephant Records: A UK label that specializes in British rock
and folk music from artists such as Wishbone and Fairport Convention;

** Big Chill Recordings: The Big Chill festival is one of the
major summer festivals in the UK, Big Chill is also a club event and a
record label. The label has been releasing well-received compilations
representing the diversity of acts at the festival for almost ten years
and is now growing its own roster of artists;

** Jazzpoint Records: German jazz label featuring Jaco Pastorious, Larry Coryell, Miroslav Vitous, Louis
Armstrong, and guitar prodigy Bireli Lagrene, who at the age of 13
recorded the album "Routes to Django," the label's best seller which
sold more than 100,000 copies;

** Sense World Music/Sursagar: Focusing on the rich musical heritage of
India, this label brings together many of the world's greatest Indian
classical artists and creative traditions into the 21st century. Included on this label are award winning
artists Kaushiki Chakrabarty, a vocalist who with the album, Pure, won the BBC World Music Award for Asia/Pacific 2005, and Kala
Ramnath & Purbayan Chatterjee, whose album Samwad, was awarded "One of
the Best World Music Albums of 2004" by Songlines (Jan/Feb 2005). In
addition, some of the CDs have been recorded at the widely acclaimed
Saptak Music Festival.

–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen

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