NEW YORK (Orchard/ www.theorchard.com) - The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent music, today announced that it has signed legendary independent label Shanachie Entertainment for exclusive worldwide digital distribution and marketing.
The Orchard will leverage Shanachie's celebrated artist roster globally for distribution to all leading digital music stores and services and the major wireless carriers through The Orchard's numerous mobile partnerships.
Shanachie joins the ranks of other major labels, including Lookout! Records and Saregama, that have partnered with The Orchard to market and sell their music digitally. The Orchard has digital distribution and marketing relationships in place with over 100 of the world's leading digital music stores globally, including iTunes, eMusic, Napster, MSN, MusicMatch, Real/Rhapsody, and Yahoo! In addition, The Orchard maintains distribution partnerships with industry-leading mobile companies around the world, including Sprint, Dwango Wireless, Zingy, 9 Squared, HIFI Ringtones, IAM Mobile, Securycast, Arvato Mobile and Hudson Soft.
Founded as a small traditional Irish music label in 1975, Shanachie has grown into a dominant independent that releases 50 to 70 titles each year, with a strong catalogue encompassing blues [through its Yazoo imprint], folk, world music, reggae, smooth jazz, Americana, Latin music, rock, funk, jazz, klezmer and more.
Shanachie's catalogue features releases by such artists as contemporary jazz chart toppers Kim Waters and Chuck Loeb, reggae trailblazers Augustus Pablo and Black Uhuru, African trumpet legend Hugh Masekela, juju master King Sunny Ade, Pakistani superstar Nusrate Fateh Ali Khan, bluegrass legends The Stanley Brothers and many more.
"Shanachie is one of the most acclaimed independent labels in the world, with a diverse trove of accomplished artists," said Greg Scholl, chief executive of The Orchard and managing director of Dimensional Associates, the company that owns The Orchard, eMusic and Dimensional Music Publishing. "The Orchard has had enormous success with expanding the market for independent music across borders and platforms. We look forward to similar success with Shanachie as we begin to merchandise its rich catalogue across the digital and wireless universe."
"We have been waiting for the right moment to fully launch our catalogue for digital distribution and we are pleased to enter into this relationship with The Orchard," said Randall Grass of Shanachie Entertainment. "We are especially excited about their promotional and marketing capabilities, which is what we feel can make the difference in the crowded digital realm."
