Secretly & Ghostly International Announce New Partnership
17 June 2020 - Press release10 Collective Nominations Earned at This Week’s Libera Awards
Today, Secretly and Ghostly International, two of the independent music community’s most forward-looking and artist-first institutions, announce a new strategic partnership. Under the new deal, both the record label Ghostly International and publisher Ghostly Songs are now Secretly affiliates, with Ghostly Songs administered through Secretly Publishing. Ghostly International founder Sam Valenti IV will become a managing partner of Secretly, as Secretly Group owners Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman, and Phil Waldorf become partners in Ghostly International’s music operations.
Embodying each company’s shared ethos and collaborative values, while upholding the creative sanctity of their storied record labels, the consolidation brings together the expertise, resources, and insight that have driven the industry for more than two decades. While the seeds of the merger were planted in 2019, the resulting partnership addresses the uncertainty of 2020 with a renewed emphasis on ambition, the socialization of ideas, and greater scale for the artists and international network of employees both companies represent.
“It’s a very personal affair, music,” says Valenti. “It’s hopes and dreams and ambitions for artists. It’s their lives, and yours. Trust and intention are focal to even starting, let alone finding new partners. Since Secretly started distributing Ghostly International in 2013, it’s been a dream to work alongside an ethical and creative family of labels, not to mention our most productive phase as a label. It has given us the confidence to keep building.”
The partnership is the latest example of Secretly’s dedication to thoughtful, deliberate growth. As Secretly co-founder Darius Van Arman explains, “Our belief is that the most important contributions to culture come from individuals and small and medium-sized businesses. Rather than growing just for growth’s sake, we choose to work with extraordinary artists and creative partners like Ghostly, to help truly nourish their creative works while maximizing their impact.”
Secretly had its highest revenue year in 2019, with acclaimed releases by Bon Iver, Better Oblivion Community Center, Jamila Woods, Whitney, Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and others, topping many year-end lists and earning four Grammy nominations, including Album, Song, and Record of the Year. Ghostly celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, while continuing to build on a discography of 500+ releases that consistently shatter the boundaries of music, design, presentation and technology, sometimes all at once. The two companies - who share midwestern roots and boundless imaginations - earned a collective ten nominations at this year’s Libera Awards, to be presented June 18, as part of A2IM Indie Week.
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