VANCOUVER, BC (Hypebot) – Nettwerk Music Group is shifting its U.S. distribution from Sony BMG to Warner Music Group's indie arm Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA). The deal covers both digital and physical distribution and is a bit of a coup for WMG. That a cutting edge music group would continue to prefer the safe harbor of another old guard major label owned distribution company, also speaks volumes about how little has changed in some corners of the recorded music industry.
Currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Terry McBride lead company also announced some key additions and promotions. Dutch Cramblitt has been named VP of Sales and Liz Erman has been named Sr. Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy. Both join Nettwerk from Rhino Entertainment. Additionally, Eric Fritschi, who joined Nettwerk in 2008 to head the marketing , has been promoted to General Manager of Nettwerk Music Group. Fritschi was the former VP of Marketing at Warner Bros. Records.
From the press release:
Ric Arboit, President, Nettwerk Records says, “Nettwerk has always been about releasing music that we love, and with that comes a strong focus on artist development. We wanted a U.S. distribution partner with not only a similar philosophy, but also one that distributes like-minded labels, and we found that with ADA. We are thrilled to announce this partnership.”
“Our goal at ADA is to partner with independent labels that have a strong culture and sense of mission, and to bring those labels an unmatched set of services that enable them to grow and manage their businesses more effectively,” said Mitchell Wolk, President of ADA. “For more than two decades Nettwerk has proven itself to be one of the premiere companies in the business and we are looking forward to this new opportunity to build and enhance their already impressive ability at finding and developing some of the industry’s most influential indie artists.”
