[PIAS] Acquires Leading Australian Independent Label & Distributor, Inertia Music

23 January 2017 - Press release

[PIAS], one of the world’s leading independent music companies and Inertia Music, the highly respected Australian record label and distribution company have announced their agreement to enter in a new partnership that will see both companies furthering their commitment to the Australian and New Zealand independent music markets.

As part of this strategic partnership [PIAS] will acquire Inertia Music and the representation of the artist and label roster of the [PIAS] Group in Australia will be taken over by Inertia from the 1st of April 2017.

The acquisition does not include other companies in the Inertia Group, which include Fairgrounds Festival, Handsome Tours, Gaga Music and Collective Artists.

Inertia Music will continue to be overseen by CEO Colin Daniels, with the current staff structure at the company remaining unchanged and both parties have stressed that it will remain “business as usual” for all of the labels and artists currently working with the company”

Inertia Music was founded 17 years ago by Ashley Sellers and Justin Cosby and is Australia’s largest independent sales, distribution and label services company, offering a suite of services and market experience across a range of disciplines.
 
Founded in Belgium by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot, [PIAS] is celebrating 35 years as one of the world’s leading independent music companies in 2017. The company has 3 core divisions: [PIAS] Recordings, that signs and develops artists, [PIAS] Cooperative, an associated label group that partners with labels to help fund and develop their repertoire on an international basis, and [PIAS] Artist & Label Services, a sales, distribution and marketing team that takes repertoire to market, physically and digitally, on a global basis.

Kenny Gates, Co-founder & CEO of [PIAS] said, “We are very excited to have Ashley, Justin, Colin and the whole Inertia team joining the [PIAS] network and family. [PIAS] and inertia share the same values and vision for our industry and that is why our new partnership is such an obvious and natural fit. The attention, the focus and the investment we both put into the artists and labels we represent is our raison d'etre. Over and above the focus we both have for building a strong and prosperous business, we believe there is a heartbeat that pulses through our shared passion for music. The combined offering of the [PIAS] network and Inertia's expertise and experience will make a true difference for the independent community in Australia and New Zealand.”

Ashley Sellers, Founder of Inertia Music says “Inertia's mission has always been to empower artists independently, a vision and passion that we share with [PIAS]. This partnership will plug Inertia Music’s existing operations into the world class services offered by [PIAS], strengthening our connection with the international stage for our incredible roster of local artists.”