{"id":103668,"date":"2025-03-11T09:51:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T09:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=103668"},"modified":"2025-03-11T09:51:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T09:51:36","slug":"artone-rescues-proper-music-group-a-big-win-for-independent-music-distribution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/artone-rescues-proper-music-group-a-big-win-for-independent-music-distribution\/","title":{"rendered":"Artone rescues Proper Music Group: A big win for independent music distribution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 style=\"user-select: auto;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff; user-select: auto;\">The UK\u2019s leading physical independent music distributor has been saved, marking a crucial victory for independent music.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>What happened?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dutch music distributor Artone has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/proper-music-group-acquired-artone-ending-utopia-music-period\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acquired<\/a> the assets of Proper Music Group (PMG) after the company fell into administration. PMG faced uncertainty after it was previously owned by Utopia Music who collapsed last year. With Artone stepping in, PMG\u2019s future now looks far more secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/completemusicupdate.com\/proper-music-saved-as-drew-hill-and-artone-conclude-strategic-acquisition-deal-to-buy-the-assets-of-proper-music-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cI\u2019m full of optimism that having been on a three-year rollercoaster ride, the next phase feels like it\u2019s going to be a very different one.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p><cite>Drew Hill, Managing Director of PMG<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>Great news for the independent music sector<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This acquisition comes as very welcome news for the UK\u2019s independent music sector for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>PMG is a crucial player in physical music distribution<\/strong>, handling <strong>13% of the UK market<\/strong> and supporting <strong>over 5,000 independent labels<\/strong>. Its survival ensures that independent artists and labels maintain access to strong physical distribution channels.<\/li><li><strong>Artone has deep experience in music distribution<\/strong>, meaning PMG will now be owned by a company that understands the physical music market\u2019s demands.<\/li><li><strong>Physical music is still thriving<\/strong>. Vinyl sales grew <strong>10.5% in 2024<\/strong>, outpacing even streaming growth, while total physical music sales in the UK hit <strong>\u00a3330.1 million<\/strong>, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eraltd.org\/yearbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Entertainment Retailers Association<\/a> (ERA). A strong distributor like PMG is vital to sustaining this growth.<\/li><li><strong>Independent music loves physical formats<\/strong>. There is a growing demand for vinyl and CDs in the indie music scene, offering significant long-term growth for PMG, independent artists, and labels.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/completemusicupdate.com\/proper-music-saved-as-drew-hill-and-artone-conclude-strategic-acquisition-deal-to-buy-the-assets-of-proper-music-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cThis is welcome news for the UK\u2019s important physical market, that will help to support its sustainability into the longer term.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p><cite>Dr Joe Twist, CEO of record company and label trade body BPI<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>What\u2019s next for Proper Music Group?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>PMG will continue to operate under Drew Hill, who has led the company for 18 years and guided it through challenging times. With Artone\u2019s backing, PMG aims to strengthen its role in the UK and global physical music market. This acquisition ensures independent artists and labels can continue reaching fans through vinyl, CDs, and other formats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UK\u2019s leading physical independent music distributor has been saved, marking a crucial victory for independent music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":103669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11109],"tags":[30579,2171,1402,12328,646,13917,30580],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.4.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Artone rescues Proper Music Group: A big win for independent music distribution - RouteNote Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The UK\u2019s leading physical independent music distributor has been saved, marking a crucial victory for independent music.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/artone-rescues-proper-music-group-a-big-win-for-independent-music-distribution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Artone rescues Proper Music Group: A big win for independent music distribution - 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