ADA joins forces with Independent Label Group (ILG) to provide one comprehensive solution to indie community
Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) announced today the expansion of its services to the independent music community by officially joining forces with Independent Label Group (ILG). ILG’s resources and expertise in radio promotion, publicity and marketing will be added to ADA’s current offering which covers digital & physical sales and account management, synch licensing, analytics, production, college marketing, product development and custom products. The move officially joins two subsidiaries of Warner Music Group to create a unified and comprehensive solution for independent music companies.
The new combination will also bolster ADA’s senior management team through the appointment of Kenny Weagly, currently General Manager of ILG, to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, A&R and Label Services, ADA. Weagly’s responsibilities will include helping to build new and deeper relationships with independent artists and labels and assisting them in the use of ADA’s enhanced suite of services, as well as continuing to oversee his existing marketing, promotion and publicity team. Weagly will work alongside Sean Rutkowski, General Manager, ADA, and Brandon Squar, VP Label Development & Strategy, ADA, all of whom report to David Orleans, President, ADA. Orleans reports to Ariel Taitz who is responsible for Independent Distribution, Strategy and Business Affairs for WEA and ADA.
David Orleans said “ADA’s mission is to provide the best possible services to extraordinary indies. It is a mutual choice when we work with a label or an artist, and we build deep, lasting partnerships that help our clients develop long-term careers. Expanding our services means greater resource, broader expertise and more senior level support. This is a clear signal that we intend to stay leaders in our field by investing in our future and the futures of our labels.”
Kenny Weagly said “The combined entity is the best in the business. Two exceptional teams just came together to create an unmatched business partner for our labels and artists.”
Dave Hansen, General Manager, Epitaph said “By adding radio promotion to our existing relationship with ADA, it means we can run campaigns our own way, but draw on a bigger team when needed. We value that flexibility and added strength.”
This move formalizes what has been a longstanding process of collaboration between ADA and ILG. ADA already distributes ILG’s releases, which include current or upcoming albums from artists such as The Hives, 10 Years, and The Wombats, as well as past successes such as CAKE’s No. 1 album last year and top ten albums from Dropkick Murphys and The Devil Wears Prada. ILG’s reputation in radio promotions is particularly well established across a wide variety of formats with artists such as Middle Class Rut (Top 10 single at Alternative Rock Radio), Sevendust (Top 10 Active Rock Radio single) and Will Hoge (Top 10 Americana single). At the same time, ADA has begun providing its label partners with ILG’s services. One of the first labels to benefit from this development is Epitaph, a longtime partner of ADA, which now also calls on the company for radio promotion support.
Created in 1993, ADA has been ranked the industry’s No. 1 independent distributor for six of the past seven calendar years, according to Nielsen/SoundScan. It is recognized as the leading distributor of independent music in the U.S., partnering with labels such as Sub Pop, Epitaph, The Beggar’s Group, Rise, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Domino, Merge, Vice, Dualtone, Polyvinyl, Napalm, Nettwerk, Rykodisc, Saddle Creek, Secretly Canadian, Side One Dummy, Surfdog, Taseis, Alligator, Touch & Go, Carpark, Milan and Smithsonian Folkways.
Source: Alternative Distribution Alliance
