31 Jan 2022 – FUGA, the world’s leading full-service B2B distributor, has signed a deal with Mascot Label Group, the independent label family home to artists such as Black Stone Cherry, Beth Hart, Shaman’s Harvest, Vola and Dragged Under.
Supporting Mascot’s recent expansion of its digital arm, FUGA will now handle the distribution across its six imprints, Mascot Records, Provogue Records, Music Theories Recordings, Cool Green Records, The Funk Garage and The Players Club. This includes its existing catalog of more than six thousand songs, as well as all new releases. Mascot will also benefit from FUGA’s global marketing expertise, including DSP and editorial-focussed services such as playlist-targeting and user-generated content.
CEO of Mascot Ed van Zijl said, “We have seen digital become more and more a part of our world and our turnover, and have been considering what we want streaming to be for us. We are delighted to have finally made our decision to join FUGA – a decision that we feel most powerfully maintains our independence.”
Anneke Stulp, General Manager of FUGA Benelux, added, “We are very excited to be working closely with the globally esteemed Mascot Label Group to support their digital goals and provide their talented roster with quality distribution services. We look forward to helping a completely independent label continue their ever-growing digital performance with our support and insight.”
Alongside this, FUGA has extended its delivery of immersive audio to TIDAL, and has already delivered Dolby Atmos-mixed tracks from clients including Anjunabeats and Ninja Tune. Members subscribing to TIDAL’s HiFi Plus tier will be able to access the immersive audio format. Announced in late 2021, TIDAL’s HiFi Plus membership tier also offers fan-centered royalties and direct-to-artist payments, a first step in creating tools that prioritize the artist experience, as well as transparency and revenue features.
“We’re delighted to give our members access to more immersive audio experiences and to give Independent labels more options to deliver music in Dolby Atmos,” said TIDAL’s Chief Operating Officer, Lior Tibon. “With the power of FUGA backing Indie labels, and the expertise of our teams at TIDAL, this is a move that will truly enhance the music listening experience on TIDAL.”
This follows FUGA’s initial move into immersive audio last year, when it became the first B2B distributor to deliver spatial audio for Apple Music.
Harmen Hemminga, FUGA’s Head of Partnerships & Strategic Projects, had this to say, “With the positive reception of immersive audio by audiences and growing adoption of the new format, we’re seeing artists and labels create new listener experiences as well as creative possibilities for the remixing of live recordings and reinterpretation of back catalog releases. With TIDAL’s focus on high quality audio experiences, it was only natural to work with their team to make it possible for all FUGA clients to deliver immersive audio to the service using our array of delivery technologies.”
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