Artone announces its acquisition of UK-based global D2C e-commerce music retailer and distributor Townsend Music.
The acquisition creates the most comprehensive end-to-end solution for physical products in the music industry. By joining Artone’s portfolio of companies and labels (i.a. Bertus Distribution, Record Industry, V2, Music On Vinyl and Music On CD), Townsend Music becomes part of a market-leading, one-stop offering to artists, labels, publishers, retailers and consumers.
“The acquisition is another welcome step for Artone’s continued expansion of its service portfolio and gives us presence in the UK market,” remarked the company’s CEO Jan Willem Kaasschieter. “This acquisition strengthens our position as a global leader in physical music distribution. We’re excited about the opportunities this will bring and look forward to driving the future of physical music together, developing further global reach and innovative solutions for the benefit of the music industry.”
Widely considered a D2C market leader, Townsend Music’s model of servicing white-label artist-led online shops and independent music retailers has proved hugely successful, consistently delivering chart-eligible sales and securing top 10 album placements nearly every week. The company’s in-house marketing, driven by a highly engaged online community and affiliate campaigns, boosts sales by expanding fan data and attracting new, engaged audiences, and has attracted over 1000 artists as clients including Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Van Morrison, Simply Red and Placebo.
“The partnership with Artone offers Townsend a clear opportunity to push its European expansion strategy forward quickly, with Artone’s well established sales, distribution and manufacturing facilities already in place,” Townsend Music founder Steve Bamber said.
“Our goal has always been to become a truly global D2C company for music and merchandise,” the company’s Sales Director Bruce McKenzie added, “and now with 14 offices throughout Europe we can expand and upscale very quickly. Artone’s suite of services from vinyl manufacturing, EU physical distribution, and label services gives us perfect synergy to offer both our D2C clients and super-fan customers a super charged service.”
The physical music and merchandise market continues to grow strongly worldwide. According to figures from the UK’s ERA (Entertainment Retailers’ Association), sales grew by 7.9% in the first half of 2024, with vinyl up 13.5% year-on-year to £86.3m. CD sales in the UK also grew, up 3.2% to £57.9m. In the US, revenue from vinyl sales improved for the 17th consecutive year with a 10.7% increase in units sold (24.3 million) and a 17% increase in revenue ($739.9m) (figures from the RIAA 2024 half-year report).
Townsend Music provides an integral part of Artone’s end-to-end solution and the company is set to continue its growth and expansion plans.
H/T:
RIAA MID-YEAR 2024 RECORDED MUSIC REVENUE REPORT
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