EMG offers major-label music distribution to artists who produce their music with us and other qualified artists. Our distribution engine is powered by our exclusive partnership with The Orchard.
The Orchard Music Distribution
The Orchard is an award-winning division of Sony Music Entertainment. Widely recognized as the domestic and international industry leader in independent music distribution and artist development, Sony/Orchard specializes in digital account management and physical sales, marketing, and product development for 70+ independent record labels and production companies (including EMG), as well as select artists from Sony-owned record labels.
Designated Sales Team
Digital Placement
Physical Distribution
Digital Placements
EMG’s distribution in the Sony system offer the artist the potential for vastly improved digital placement opportunities that are simply unavailable through aggregators like CD Baby, due to the fact that with an aggregator, nobody is actively advocating those artists’ music to the various digital sales platforms (DSPs).
Although EMG cannot guarantee prominent placement on every DSP, our sales team at Sony has both the power and the vested interest to strongly influence Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Pandora, and other DSPs to boost EMG artists onto desired playlists and prominent sales placements.
Physical Music Distribution
EMG’s music distribution services also offers recording artists the possibility for physical distribution of their CD’s and vinyl records to a variety of large, national retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Hastings, and Amazon, as well as many important, taste-making “mom and pop” record stores, regionally-targeted or across the country, depending on the project.
Considering most independent artists’ other distribution options (like CD Baby, Tunecore, etc.) do not offer any physical distribution at all, this channel represents an important opportunity for additional revenue and market presence (just being on the shelves at stores represents a great opportunity for market awareness and brand legitimacy).
Prominent Placements
Here are just a few prominent digital and retail placements that have been achieved for EMG artists.
Front page of Apple Music Country
Apple Music New in Rock playlist
Spotify Texas Country Now playlist
VEVO True Country playlist
Walmart retail placement
Target retail placement
Best Buy retail placement
Amazon retail placement
Cactus Music retail placement
Waterloo Records retail placement
Josey Records retail placement
Buc-ee's retail placement
Cavender's retail placement
Any artist looking to really grow in the market should release records through a distributor like EMG/Sony Orchard Distribution if that is an option. First, I stress “if that is an option”, because a company like The Orchard has a team to grow into, and that provides the artist a real-world sales and marketing team (in Sony) that will not only help with placement and growth within the relevant DSP’s, but also grow the physical album sales story … I definitely recommend CD Baby and Tunecore to any artist starting out when that is your ONLY option. However, when EMG’s Sony Orchard Distribution is on the table, it really is a no-brainer.
What we are all trying to do is to first build credibility for the new artist and then to build an actual music career. When trying to build a music career from scratch, credibility comes heavily into play. So, for example… accolades from radio programmers, venue owners, and music critics all help. So, even though CD Baby is a good company and has been around for a while, having Sony Distribution attached to your resumé adds a credibility that CD Baby does not. In my realm of this business, perception is reality. And when a music writer / journalist / critic sees that Sony is part of this album, that will make a much larger impression than CD Baby will.
