Name PR » Essential Music & Marketing

Essential Kicks Off Midem 2012 With Clutch Of New Signings

name — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:27:58 +0000

Essential sign up The Orchard for physical distribution across Europe
Ink Fierce Panda, No Sleep and Lojinx labels
Paul Buchanan, Betty Wright and DragonForce come aboard

5pm 29th January Cannes: - Essential Music & Marketing has gotten off to a flying start at this year’s Midem with a clutch of key artist and label signings including Paul Buchanan and Fierce Panda Records, as well as a deal to handle physical distribution across Europe for digital aggregator, The Orchard.

Among Essential’s artist signings is The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan, who releases his debut solo album via a label services deal for Europe – his first record since 2004’s Silver selling album, High.

Fresh from her appearance on Jools’ Annual 2011 Hootenanny, Essential have also signed Grammy-nominated Betty Wright for label services across Europe. This will include her latest album Betty Wright: The Movie (recently released in the US by S-Curve), recorded with legendary soul/hip-hop mercenaries The Roots.

Another artist joining for European label services is flaming power metal axe masters DragonForce. The band are preparing to release an album with new lead singer, Marc Hudson, on their own on their own Electric Generation Recordings label, followed by a world tour.

Essential has also signed several cutting edge labels, including West Coast Indie No Sleep Records, for European distribution. Fierce Panda, home to Kabeedies & Electricity in Our Homes, is about to become that much more fierce with Essential handling physical distribution for UK and Eire, whilst Essential will provide distribution for Europe as Lojinx prepares to release the 5th solo album of Raconteurs founder-member Brendon Benson.

The Orchard artists covered by Essential’s distribution include Therapy?, soon to release their thirteenth studio album and tour Europe, and blues rock legend Dion.

Said Mike Chadwick, Founder and MD of Essential said: “It’s great to have so many well-regarded labels and artists come on board. 2012 has kicked off with a bang, and we’re looking forward to coming back from Midem with even more good news”

New Essential signings:

The Orchard – Physical distribution across Europe

Paul Buchanan, Betty Wright, DragonForce – European label services

No Sleep – European distribution

Fierce Panda – UK and Eire physical distribution

Lojinx – European distribution

About Essential Music & Marketing

Essential Music & Marketing has been redefining the roles of distributor and record label since its inception in 2003 by Mike Chadwick, former MD Vital Distribution and Martin Goldschmidt, owner of Cooking Vinyl Records.

Essential is part of the Cooking Vinyl group, which comprises of Cooking Vinyl Records, Essential Music & Marketing and Cooking Vinyl Music Publishing, which is run by Paul Kinder, a former director at Chrysalis.

www.essential-music.com

Essential to open North American office

name — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:02:59 +0000

Essential Music & Marketing to form North American division Essential USA Inc.
Offers marketing services in North America
Global strategy, marketing and distribution to North American labels
Led by respected music business veteran Erik Gilbert

15 December 2011, London:- Essential Music & Marketing are to start a new company – Essential USA Inc. – to offer creative marketing services in North America to labels from around the world.

Opening for business January 2012, Essential USA Inc will be a full-service company, providing a comprehensive repertoire of support to record labels, video companies, physical distributors and artists – both for existing Essential labels and entirely new projects.

The company will also offer global strategy marketing and distribution services to North American labels. Essential’s roster of North American labels includes Arts & Crafts, Easy Star, Unison Records, Fat Possum, Megaforce, Dine Alone, Luaka Bop, Prawn Song, Shout! Factory, Vagrant and Weathermaker. Artists on these labels include The Easy Star All-Stars, Wavves, Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, J Dilla, Meat Puppets, Susana Baca, and Alkaline Trio.

Essential USA Inc. will be based in Soho, New York and led by Erik Gilbert, who was previously in charge of label acquisition and client strategy at the Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA). Erik previously started, built, and managed the successful independent labels Asphodel and 75 Ark.

The new office opening signals the start of an impressive year for Essential, who will be handling albums in 2012 from among others rock bruisers Dragonforce, a solo debut by Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), a live CD/DVD package from Faithless, the return of The Cranberries, a new album from The Cult and a new Vondelpark release for R&S.

Said Essential USA Inc. CEO Erik Gilbert “The rapidly changing physical and digital landscape offers a great opportunity for us to provide North American labels with a viable alternative to some of the leading distributors in UK and Europe, as well as provide marketing services in North America. I am excited to build upon the great success that Essential has achieved in the UK and Europe”

Commented Wayne Pighini, Head of Marketing, Vagrant Records “We’ve worked with Essential on a number of key releases with great success, helping to increase album sales in both the UK and Europe. 2012 is looking set to be a great year for Vagrant and Essential.”

Essential Music & Marketing MD Mike Chadwick added “Working with Erik will bring a whole new perspective to Essential. His understanding of the market in North America and his contacts worldwide will open up a host of opportunities for us. These are exciting times.”

-Ends-

About Essential Music & Marketing

www.essential-music.com

Cherry Red signs to Essential

name — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:34:34 +0000

Iconic label expands Essential’s distribution roster
Includes recent albums by The Fall, Van Der Graaf Generator, Suzi Quatro and Jah Wobble, plus more in 2012, and a huge reissue catalogue

1st December 2011, London:- Cherry Red, the iconic label group originally formed in 1978, will move its distribution to Essential Music & Marketing. The catalogue becomes part of the Essential roster on January 1 2012.

Cherry Red regularly release 40-50 albums each month across its 40+ reissue labels, and 2012 looks set to be even busier still.

The deal will see Essential taking on the substantial catalogue, with all labels across its vast reissue roster including Anagram, RPM, Esoteric, Soulmusic.com, Big Break Records, Cherry Pop and RevOla and many others as part of the deal, as well as continuing as an active label releasing brand new albums as it has done this year by The Fall, Van Der Graaf Generator, Suzi Quatro and Jah Wobble.

Cherry Red was one of the original independent labels when it formed in 1978. The label’s first key success was licensing the Dead Kennedys’ debut Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, and also 1982’s legendary Pillows & Prayers compilation, which retailed at 99p and showcased the label’s roster, introducing the likes of Everything But The Girl (as well as The Marine Girls and Ben Watt & Tracey Thorn’s solo projects), Felt, The Monochrome Set and Eyeless In Gaza to the world, and a revised edition won Mojo’s reissue of the year in 2008.

Mike Chadwick, Founder and MD of Essential said, “To be working with Cherry Red is a real honour. It’s a legendary label and the sheer scope of the catalogue is awe inspiring. It’s a great start for 2012 which I think is going to be a very successful year for Essential.”

Adam Velasco, Managing Director of Cherry Red added, “We have known and respected Mike and Martin [Goldschmidt), for many years, and we now look forward to a successful working relationship with them, with what should be an exciting and always busy 2012 schedule and beyond for Cherry Red.”

-Ends-

About Cherry Red

Formed by Iain McNay (who remains company chairman) and Richard Jones, Cherry Red begun life as a label in 1978, and has been home to iconic independent artists such as Dead Kennedys, Felt and Everything But The Girl. Since the late 80s it has also become a substantial specialist reissue label.

www.cherryred.co.uk

About Essential Music & Marketing

www.essential-music.com

Latest Essential signings! Labels by Steve Lawler and Doorly plus more…

Kayleigh — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:48:22 +0000

Cult dance labels by Steve Lawler and Doorly among latest signings to Essential

Lawler’s VIVa and Doorly’s Pigeonhole This! top list of new signings
Decon, Rhymesayers, Workhouse and Dirtybird complete the list
Pusha T ft. 50 Cent, Pharrell Williams and Tyler The Creator plus Ryan Leslie releases coming via Decon

12^th May 2011, London:- With massive residencies by DJs Steve Lawler and Doorly soon to be kicking off the Ibiza clubbing season, Essential Music & Marketing is somewhat thrilled to be announcing the signings of their respective labels, Pigeonhole This! and VIVa to its roster of clients. Also newly announced are deals with Decon, Rhymesayers, Workhouse and Dirtybird.

The London-based label services, sales and marketing company has signed a worldwide deal with Steve Lawler’s VIVa Music ahead of the release of the double mix Lights Out Decade at the end of May: the much anticipated next chapter in his Lights Out… series. The album is set to be a return to his darker roots, and will provide fans with a truly original experience, mixing, editing and re-editing previously unheard tracks to create an absolutely original dance floor hit. Hidden in one special copy of the CD release will be a “golden ticket”, with the prize of an exclusive live set by Lawler in their home going to whoever buys the lucky album.

Also setting his sights on the White Isle is the widely acclaimed house DJ, Doorly. Essential has signed a worldwide distribution deal with his label, Pigeonhole This!, in time for the release of their debut sampler EP, available now. Doorly is currently on tour showcasing his uniquely analogue approach to DJing, and is rarely seen without enough equipment around him to launch a man into orbit. He can be seen in his element on any one of his 23 North American tour dates with Rusko or at one of his upcoming Ibiza dates including a massive 14 appearances at both Ibiza Rocks and Majorca Rocks.

Ahead of the release of Atmosphere’s new album Family Sign, grassroots hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment are moving to Essential through an existing deal with Traffic Entertainment. The release is set to push the group’s collective album sales over the 1.6 million mark, and they will be seeing a greatly raised profile in the UK with Essential on board.

Rhymesayers are celebrating their fifteenth year in the business a sold out ‘Family Vacation Tour’ in the US and will be bringing it to the UK and Europe in the autumn of this year. It’s likely to feature artists with significant 2011 album releases: Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Evidence (of Dilated Peoples) and Grieves.

Joining them is New York’s Decon. A fast-growing indie powerhouse, responsible for 2010’s breakout hit for Jay Electronica, ‘Exhibit C’, as well as classic records from the likes of Jurassic 5 and RJD2. Decon is expanding in 2011 with the debut solo release from Pusha T (of The Clipse) featuring 50 Cent, Pharrell and Tyler The Creator, and they’ve also announced the first independent artist album from Grammy-nominated producer Ryan Leslie, the man behind hits for Cassie, Britney Spears, The Game and many more.

Also coming from the States is the Dirtybird label, signing for a European distribution deal with Essential, who’ll be handling all priority releases and associated singles from the upcoming Claude Vonstroke Makeovers album this summer plus Justin Martin’s debut LP, due out in autumn this year.

Based a little closer to home is Workhouse Records, setting up in a deal with Essential to distribute the latest album from the label’s founder Mark Hill, the main man behind Artful Dodger and the key producer and writer for Craig David.

The newly established imprint is set to recapture all that made Artful Dodger so genre-defining at the end of the last century. His mix of some of the best production values in the business and the best vocal talents from the likes of Ed Sheeran, means Workhouse is set to become a major jewel in Essential’s crown.

Steve Crane, Product Manager at Essential said, “It’s great to add more quality imprints to my existing dance and urban labels over here at Essential Music. All of my new additions have great release schedules lined up for 2011 and beyond. There are some very exciting and innovative campaigns in the pipeline too so I can’t wait to get things rolling.”

SXSW 2011: Cooking Vinyl and Essential’s Annual Knees Up

name — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:30:54 +0000

Cooking Vinyl Records and Essential Music & Marketing announce Texas envoys
Duran Duran and Ron Sexsmith top the list of stars heading to Austin
Acclaimed Sexsmith documentary Love Shines to show at SXSW Film
Sexsmith and Cooking Vinyl Director Rob Collins to speak at conference

South by Southwest Film 11^th – 19^th March 2011

South by Southwest Music 15^th – 20^th March 2011

Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX and venues around the city

9^th March 2011, London:- Cooking Vinyl Records and sister company Essential Music & Marketing are gearing up for the annual schlep to South by Southwest, the global music industry’s largest annual conference and music festival.

From Cooking Vinyl’s great and varied roster of artists, Ron Sexsmith, American Music Club and Mexican Institue of Sound will all be performing as part of the six-day desert orgy of sound.

Distributed, marketed and sold to retailers by Essential Music & Marketing, Brooke Fraser and Duran Duran also take their place among the luminaries and up-and-comings who will be showcasing their latest work at the conference.

Signed to Essential’s client labels and performing at the festival are the Meat Puppets (Megaforce) with Roky Erickson at Austin Music Hall, Delicate Steve, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt (Luaka Bop), The Stepkids, Strong Arm Steady, Peanut Butter Wolf (Stones Throw), Dinosaur Bones, The Golden Dogs (Dine Alone). The festival will also feature label showcases by New West Records, Fat Possum and The End Records, all part of the Essential stable.

International icons Duran Duran appear at Stubb’s in downtown Austin on 16^th March at 12:30am, playing music from their 13^th studio album All You Need Is Now, produced by Mark Ronson and set for released on 21^st March.

Over at SXSW Film, the documentary Love Shines is set to steal the spotlight with a showcase on 15^th March at 6:15pm (Alamo Ritz 2) and on 16^th March at 7pm (Vimeo Theater) under the 24 Beats Per Second category.

With an extraordinary playlist and a stellar cast featuring Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Feist, Kiefer Sutherland and Daniel Lanois, Love Shines is a journey to the heart and soul of what songwriting is about.

Sexsmith’s album Long Player Late Bloomer, which features in the documentary and entered the top 50 of the album chart this week, was released on 28^th February on Cooking Vinyl and Sexsmith himself will be playing midnight shows on 17^th March at the Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn and on 18^th March at the St. David’s Episcopal Church.

Over at the conference itself, Sexsmith will be speaking on the prestigious Songwriters Explain Everything panel, Cooking Vinyl Director Rob Collins will be appearing on the The Indie View: Emerging Digital Music Models. Chaired by IODA chairman Kevin Arnold, it will discuss new cloud and subscription-based services and what they mean for indie labels. Keith Marnoch, Label Manager at Essential will also be attending the conference.

Duran Duran Signed to Essential

name — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:01:17 +0000

Rock icons DURAN DURAN have today confirmed that they have signed an exclusive UK deal with independent sales and distribution company ESSENTIAL MUSIC, to release the full-length physical version of their 13^th studio album ALL YOU NEED IS NOW, slated for release March 21^st.

Featuring five brand new tracks, the extended LP comes three months after a critically-acclaimed nine song version of the record was released digitally, exclusively on iTunes, and hit the #1 spot on download charts in 15 countries (including the UK). This brings the band’s total record sales to more than 100 million throughout their three-decade career. Produced by Grammy-winner Mark Ronson, ALL YOU NEED IS NOW has been hailed as a return-to-roots homage to the band’s most celebrated musical panache.

The new deal, inked by the band today, will see ESSENTIAL MUSIC handling sales and distribution of the 14 track extended album in both digital and physical formats, across all retail and online outlets, including Amazon, HMV direct and Play.com. The release is being co-ordinated by LLM and its founder Joe Cokell, previously business development director at Cooking Vinyl Group and most recently former CEO of Sanctuary Records Group.

The fresh incarnation of ALL YOU NEED IS NOW will be available in CD, vinyl and a special Deluxe Edition CD package, that will include a bonus song “Networker Nation” and a remix of the album’s title track by Youth Kills. A brand new special edition iTunes LP version will also hit the iTunes Store March 21^st.

In other Duran Duran news, the album title track, “All You Need Is Now”, will be featured in Dior’s ‘Be Iconic’ commercial campaign for the company’s new Addict lipstick, which is slated to launch in March of this year. Shot by acclaimed director JONAS AKERLUND, and starring super-model KATE MOSS, watch a sneak peek here: http://bit.ly/he0tQ8.

Not only a band who can attract millions of fans to their live shows across five continents, Duran Duran is celebrated for single-handedly transforming music videos from a gimmicky marketing tool into one of the music industry’s most valued assets, taking the visual imperatives of the New Romantic movement to another level that defined the MTV generation. Now, Duran Duran has partnered with Genero.tv to give filmmakers around the world the chance to make music videos for all 9 songs on the iTunes-exclusive digital version of album.

This unique contest has a total prize pool of $45,000 ($5,000 for each of the nine songs). Once the entry period closes on February 25^th, five finalists will be selected for each song, chosen by Duran Duran and Genero.tv. There will then be one grand-prize winner selected by the band for each track, announced on March 21^st to coincide with ALL YOU NEED IS NOW’s physical release. A compilation of the successful entrants will be released on DVD later in the year. Seeking to revolutionize the way artists connect and engage with their fans, Genero.tv provides a platform for the global creative community to make and upload their own music videos for the world to watch. This forward-thinking initiative aligns perfectly with Duran Duran’s legacy as artistic visionaries. Visit Genero.tv/duranduran for all the competition details.

Following the physical release of the full-length album on March 21^st, after a long absence from live performances in the UK, Duran Duran, will return to their home market for a series of highly anticipated arena concerts in May 2011.

The original line up of SIMON LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN TAYLOR and ROGER TAYLOR will perform to over 150,000 fans in 11 arena shows throughout the UK in May. The band will showcase material from their new record, along with classic hits from across their 30-year career. The UK leg of the tour will kick off on Wednesday 18^th May at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, and will end on Saturday 4^th June at Sheffield Motorpoint Arena.

The shows will mark the band’s first European performances in support of their critically acclaimed new record and the start of a world tour that will last well into 2012.

Produced by Grammy Award-winner Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen), and mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Madonna, Björk, No Doubt), the album features guest vocals/rap from longtime Duran Duran pal/collaborator Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters, and R&B/neo-soul superstar Kelis; while Owen Pallett of Arcade Fire fame contributes the album’s string arrangements.

Described by the band as a journey of rediscovery and creative liberation, their time in the studio with Mark Ronson nurtured a powerful chemistry that was sparked during the band’s rare live performance with Mark in Paris in 2008. In late Spring 2009, at Sphere Studios in London, this much-anticipated Duran/Ronson union flourished, as writing and recording began on an exciting new batch of songs, which Ronson has boldly stated is the “imaginary follow up to Rio that never was.”

Duran Duran, a band with more era-defining songs to their name than most, have reconnected with the sounds, the textures, the melodies and the lyrical evocation that first propelled them to the top of the charts the world over. ALL YOU NEED IS NOW seems to have arrived fully-formed, its impact instantaneous, its brilliance undeniable. From the lush, moody “A Diamond In The Mind” and “Return To Now” interludes, to the explosive “Other People’s Lives,” to the dreamy vocal harmonies and tropical saunter of “Mediterranea”, and the classic Duran melody in “Too Bad You’re So Beautiful,” these newly added songs are a seamless addition to ALL YOU NEED IS NOW.

Always at the forefront of the art scene, the band enlisted the talents of up-and-coming British art star Clunie Reid for the album artwork and packaging. Reid’s work has been recently shown at leading UK and US spaces, including the Saatchi Gallery, The Tate and the New Museum in New York. British fashion magazine POP’s creative team have provided art direction for the project.

With a storied history and a legendary body of work all of their own, Duran Duran continue to create in the present and look to the future, living their motto that has brought them so far… ALL YOU NEED IS NOW!

All You Need Is Now Extended LP Tracklisting

(* * * indicates a new album track)

1. All You Need Is Now

2. Blame The Machines

3. Being Followed

4. Leave a Light on

5. Safe (in the heat of the moment) (feat. Ana Matronic)

6. Girl Panic !

7. A Diamond In The Mind * * *

8. The Man who Stole a Leopard (feat. Kelis)

9. Other People’s Lives * * *

10. Mediterranea * * *

11. Too Bad You’re So Beautiful * * *

12. Runway Runaway

13. Return To Now * * *

14. Before the Rain

Black Hole Recordings join Essential

name — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:12:56 +0000

Essential Sign Black Hole Recordings for UK and Ireland Distribution
New Albums Coming from Richard Durand, JES, BT, Andain and Allure
Over 25 catalogue releases from Mixmag’s “Greatest DJ of All Time” Tiësto included

25th January 2011, Cannes:- At Midem today Essential Music & Marketing announced that Black Hole Recordings, one of the biggest independent electronic labels in the world, are joining their roster. The Dutch label, along with its sub labels In Trance We Trust, Songbird and Magik Muzik will be distributed by Essential in the UK and Ireland. Black Hole’s joint venture with Flashover Recordings, Premier, has released two Ferry Corsten mix compilations in 2010.

Black Hole, originally the home to trance pioneer Tiësto, recently named the greatest DJ of all time, now works with many well known artists and brands to distribute their releases around the globe. Big names include German DJ-duo Cosmic Gate, visionary producer and film composer BT, Miami-based house producer Robbie Rivera, US songstress JES, and many, many more.

This year will see the release of new albums from Cosmic Gate, Robbie Rivera, Tiësto’s alias Allure, a new In Trance We Trust mix by Russia’s #1 DJ Bobina and the ninth installment of the popular In Search Of Sunrise mix series mixed by Richard Durand. And there’ll be quite a few surprises in store!

Black Hole’s artists find themselves in good company at the burgeoning London-based sales, marketing and distribution company. They join fellow electronic musicians already distributed by Essential including the Prodigy, Fake Blood, Hervé, Groove Armada, Jack Beats and Underworld.

Steve Crane, Product Manager at Essential said, “Black Hole Recordings has always been a hub for quality dance music from across the globe. It is great to be working with Arny and Joris again. 2011 is shaping up nicely with albums from the likes of BT and Robbie Rivera among many others and I think this is just the start of a really successful partnership.”

Arny Bink, Black Hole owner said, “I’m glad we’ve found a new partner for our Black Hole Recordings label in the U.K. & Eire with Essential Music, and am confident with their experience we’ll have a great partnership in the years to come!”

About Essential Music & Marketing

www.essential-music.com

About Black Hole Recordings

Black Hole Recordings was founded in 1997 by Tiësto and Arny Bink. In 1998 they added two new labels to their imprint: In Trance We Trust and Songbird. By 2001 another label was added to the roster, Magik Muzik.

The company has grown to become one of the world’s largest independent dance labels, releasing recordings from top-name artists while nurturing new talent. DJs including Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, First State, Andy Duguid, Phynn and Ton TB are among the artists who released their first mixcompilation on the label.

In 2009 the 100th release on Black Hole Recordings was announced. The new in-house labels like Fris! and Avanti were quickly joined by imprints from the artists themselves: Mr Sam’s Appia, Richard Durand’s Terminal 4, Riley & Durrant’s Electrik Playground are a few of the labels currently handled by Black Hole.

Nowadays, Black Hole Recordings looks after the releases of a wide variety of internationally acclaimed artists like Cosmic Gate, BT, JES, Julie Thompson, Andy Duguid, Richard Durand.

After almost 15 years, Black Hole Recordings remains on top of the game and true to its credo, “Captivate, Communicate and Celebrate!”

www.blackholerecordings.com

www.finenight.com

www.facebook.com/blackholerecordings

www.youtube.com/blackholerecordings

www.myspace.com/blackholerecordings

Essential Switch Distribution to €Multi-Billion Gem Logistics

name — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:38:50 +0000

The Birth of a New and Truly Independent Force in the Marketplace

Established Software and DVD Outfit, Gem, Making their Mark in Music

New Releases from Steve Earle, Funeral From a Friend and Bashy

18^th January 2011:- Independent sales & marketing company Essential Music & Marketing are moving their physical distribution to Gem Logistics, forging a partnership of shared ambitions and superior practice. Their partnership will provide a truly independent alternative for labels and artists demanding state-of-the art distribution and services, backed up by Essential’s in-house sales force.

Essential are parting ways with the Warner-owned Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), and their logistics partner Cinram. By moving out of the ADA fold, Essential will see their chart successes listed under their own name rather than ADA’s. Major releases in the coming months from Essential include new albums from Steve Earle, Funeral for a Friend, and Bashy: plenty for Gem to be getting their teeth into. Essential will continue to handle its own digital distribution.

Gem Logistics, a leader in Video Games and DVD distribution, already manages titles that ship in excess of 1 million units per title and is making a major commitment to the music market. Essential, a company accustomed to seeing its titles commanding space in the top 10, will raise Gem’s music credentials to a similar level.

Gem’s software clients include Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed), Take 2 (Grand Theft Auto) and Codemasters (F1). DVD publishers include the likes of Simply Home Entertainment and IMC Vision. After a £13 million investment, Gem opened their newly built 250,000 Sq Ft warehouse in Northamptonshire in August of last year.

Gem offers state-of-the-art warehousing systems, run by a young, ambitious, focused team, able to accommodate all of Essential’s UK and international distribution through one facility. Gem is a company moving increasingly into the independent music sector and they offer the crucial reassurance of being owned by the profitable €6.7 billion DCC Plc Group.

Mike Chadwick, Essential Founder and MD, said “Gem’s ambitions for growth is impressive. Their facilities are truly state of the art and they are financially sound – a great combination. We were really impressed by their enthusiastic team and their IT was just what we were looking for. It’s a very exciting time for both companies and we’re looking forward to creating a major new player in the Independent music sector .”

Lance Meade, Essential Sales Manager, added, “Gem were the dark-horse in our six-month-long search for the right logistics partner. Gem’s facilities in particular really impressed us. We’ve seen a lot of warehouses, but Gem’s really is second to none.”

Matthew Allen, Gem Logistics General Manager, said “We were likewise impressed by Esssential’s plans for growth and are looking forward to growing with them – they represent some great bands and artists which will complement our existing business. Essential is the perfect company for us to be working with as we seek to grow market share within the music channel; we will become a credible alternative to the existing incumbents, and the signing of Essential is testament to our plans and vision for the future. We are talking to a number of other potential music partners and hope to make further announcements soon.”

About Essential Music & Marketing

www.essential-music.com

About Gem Logistics

Gem Logistics is a trading division of Gem Distribution Ltd and provides logistical services to the Video Games, CD and DVD markets. An independent logistics and distribution company within the entertainment industry, Gem Logistics has grown considerably, especially through its strong partnership program. In addition to continuing to partner with several high-profile blue-chip companies, Gem Logistics has also confirmed its presence within the DVD and Toy markets by partnering with independent companies. Gem Distribution Ltd is owned by DCC Plc, the €6.7 Billion T/O business based in Dublin.

www.gemlogistics.co.uk

Topspin and Essential Forge Unique Marketing Partnership

name — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:30:18 +0000

• Topspin training Essential’s marketing team as prime UK agents

22nd November 2010:- Topspin Media have selected Essential Music & Marketing as a privileged UK agent, in a deal which will see the Topspin’s powerful marketing platform being made available across Essential’s artists and labels. Essential’s marketing team have been trained by Topspin’s own staff in the effective implementation of Topspin’s groundbreaking direct-to-fan marketing and sales technology.

Since topping Billboard’s “Indie Visionaries” list in 2008, Topspin have become the first port of call for artists and labels seeking to manage their targeted marketing and direct-to-consumer sales.

At its core Topspin offers a comprehensive set of marketing and sales tools, implemented and managed by Topspin themselves and by specialist agents, and also available self-service on a revenue-sharing basis for artists, labels and managers to use themselves.

Artists can create embeddable widgets, so that the sales interface can be placed where the fan is – on the artist’s website and Facebook page, on blogs and in online articles. With some of the best analytics in the business, they can track geographical and demographic information on their fans, knowing who to market to and when, and measure the spending habits and social reach of key fans through their blog and social network followings.

Fulfillment of digital sales is carried out by Topspin. Physical fulfillment of merchandise and music orders will be provided through Essential’s existing distribution networks.

For the fan, Topspin’s system allows them to access offers, stream music and purchase products from one-off signed pieces of merchandise to digital music in multiple formats (including lossless FLACs) all from within the artists’ own websites and social spaces.

Shamal Ranasinghe, Topspin Co-founder, commented, “Essential has always been a critical marketing and distribution partner to artists, and Topspin is excited to officially join forces to provide our direct-to-fan marketing platform as a key offering in their services. We’re delighted that our first campaign is with Cooking Vinyl, a legendary and globally recognized independent label.

Mike Chadwick, Founder and MD of Essential, added, “Topspin are the market leaders in the Direct to Fan marketplace and understand how to build and manage a fanbase like no-one else. Their innovative tools and direct marketing knowledge will bring new elements of creativeness to our campaigns that can only benefit our labels and artists.”

About Essential

Founded to offer all-in-one marketing and distribution services to select North American independent labels seeking to release across the UK and Europe, Essential now also work with self-releasing artists and independent labels from across the UK and beyond.

Services include physical and digital sales and distribution and a burgeoning package of product management activities ranging from overall strategy, targeting featured artists and sourcing remixes through to recruitment of 3rd party specialists and digital marketing.

Labels and artists with service deals with Essential include Noisia, Zinc, Cheap Thrills, New West, Vagrant Records, Ed Harcourt, Cyndi Lauper, Feeder, Ash, R&S, JME, Sandi Thom.

Labels distributed by Essential include Cooking Vinyl, Stones Throw, Surrender All, Big Teeth Music, Fat Possum.

www.essential-music.com

About Topspin Media

Topspin is the industry-leading software platform for direct-to-fan marketing and retail. Topspin is the tool of choice for professional labels, management companies, and marketing service companies who have successfully used Topspin’s tools to run campaigns for more than 3,000 artists from Paul McCartney and George Harrison to Linkin Park and Eminem.

www.topspinmedia.com

The Dance Never Ends – Deluxe Remix Edition

name — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:17:02 +0000

The Dance Never Ends, The Deluxe Remix Edition Of Gold Selling The Dance Is Out 1^st November
£100K Marketing Campaign To Feature TV Advertising And HMV Front-Of-Store Placement, And Extended Retail Distribution Ensuring Massive Visibility For What Is Being Seen By All As A Significant New Release
CD Available For The First Time In All Major Retailers

1^st November, London: - The new album, which is released on Nates Tunes, the band’s own label, and is distributed by Essential Music & Marketing, together with Tesco and iTunes, features four exclusive new tracks and four videos not previously available with the original release, plus an all-new remix disc.

The album’s initial release on 16^th May saw it reach number one in the UK digital chart through an ongoing exclusive distribution deal with iTunes, and number two in the overall chart, via an exclusive distribution deal with Tesco.

“After the success of The Dance, and the subsequent demand from retail, we were resolved to release a Deluxe Remix Edition in Q4 and to extend our retail distribution for this special format” said Faithless’ Management team, ATC.

Commented Mike Chadwick, MD Essential Music & Marketing, “Essential see ourselves at the cutting edge of the label services model. We are liberating artists from the record company structure, allowing them to release their own music their own way, while giving them the support they need.

“Faithless’s success this year shows the model doesn’t just work for nichey long-tail acts, but for mainstream chart acts too. Put simply, for very many independently-minded creative musicians, large and small, the services model – not the conventional record label – is the future of the record industry.”

In addition to Tesco continuing as the exclusive supermarket partner, and iTunes as their exclusive digital partner, The Dance Never Ends will be available in HMV, Amazon, Play, other major retailers, and independent record stores.

Credited with influencing everyone from Calvin Harris to Example since they formed in the early nineties, Faithless have been touring the album’s material throughout the summer, rocking a string of festivals, including Glastonbury, T in the Park, Oxegen, iTunes and V’s, and from November the full Faithless live experience will be exploding on Arena stages around the UK.

About Essential Music & Marketing

www.essential-music.com

Tracklisting for The Dance Never Ends

CD1

Not Going Home

Feel Me

Crazy Bal’heads

Comin Around

Tweak Your Nipple

Flyin High

Love Is My Condition

Feelin Good