We’re hearing of people losing their jobs this month at Entertainment One Distribution, which looks after many small and medium-sized classical labels, among them Analekta, MDG and WigmoreHallLive.
Where will they go now?
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Don’t Hyperion distribute small, ’boutique’ labels? Maybe they would take the affected labels on.
Hyperion are of course UK-based and also are not a distributor (though I believe that they facilitate the physical distribution of a small handful of other labels from their UK warehouse). Entertainment-One are based in the USA, and being a global film distributor, classical music was a rather small (and presumably increasingly unprofitable) sideline.
Ent-One announced towards the end of 2016 that they would be ceasing distribution of all “third party” CDs. This meant that some 30 labels (I think it was around that number) that Ent-One had been distributing in North America needed to move to other distributors. Our VIVAT label was one of those temporarily made homeless, but we happily and rapidly moved for our North American distribution to Naxos USA. I haven’t yet checked with my friends at Wigmore Hall Live how they fared in the redistribution (doubtless we will all be exchanging information in a few months’ time at Classical:Next), but there are still excellent and experienced distributors for classical CDs in the USA, and I’d expect and hope that the good labels quickly found alternative homes for that important territory.
But it is a terrible shame – and a sign of the times – that some very experienced and wonderful people who have spent much of their working lives in the recorded classical music industry in the USA have lost their jobs: huge sympathy and very best wishes to them.
The labels will probably go to Naxos of America, just as Robert King did with his ensemble’s label.
Bandcamp and CD Baby, for fulfillment to customers?
Note the posting earlier this week that Naxos suggested CDs have 5-10 years left. The referenced article also said that Arkivmusic is 25% of classical CD sales (in the US?) and I would imagine that Amazon is most of the rest. I’m not in the biz, but I have trouble seeing where the business is for distributing physical classical CDs.
Please take look here
http://www.stereophile.com/content/naxos-opens-arkivjazzcom-shutters-classicsonline#LhFLtBjupgltSPce.97
to see a more of what is happening in the US music distribution scheme. World in motion…..
ODRADEK was with eOne since we launched, in fact they were the first to take us – they were a huge support to us and a great team to work with. It’s really sad news. They have been very helpful though with the transition, and we’ve found a new home for the US market via Membran. Interestingly, though physical product surely has its days numbered, the majority of our sales are still physical…
I wish a very bright future for all our friends at eOne, and once again, heartfelt thanks for taking the risk of signing us on within the first week of our launch!
100% agreed! eOne’s classical CD distribution team were a really friendly, committed and enthusiastic team: as with Odradek, they took on VIVAT when we were a brand new label – and even to the last, when their division’s closure was announced, they made the transition for their labels to new distributors as smooth and positive as they could.
Wishing all the team there very well, and here’s hoping we continue to see many of them working within the industry, albeit in new guises, very soon.