B2B distributor FUGA, a division of Downtown Music, has hired Desiree Vach as its General Manager of GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).
Reporting directly to SVP of EMEA, Liz Northeast, Berlin-based Vach joins FUGA following a nine-year tenure as Country Manager of GSA for Ingrooves Music Group, where she oversaw all of the distributor’s activities and partnerships in the region.
Vach is the former chair of VUT (Association of Independent Music Companies Germany), co-founder of the VUT Diversity network, which supports women and non-binary persons working in the German music industry, and an advisory board member of the Society for Music Economics and Music Culture Research in Germany.
In her new role, Vach will lead FUGA’s business development, service offering and brand presence in the region, as well as oversee the Berlin office and its team.
The company’s expansion across GSA in recent years has seen it strike deals with independent labels such as Wavory, Odyssey, !K7 Music, COLORS and AESTHETE with the distributor recently renewing its partnership with German platform and label, CloudKid.
FUGA says that its physical distribution department, launched in 2022, is also seeing “significant success” in Germany with the recent album campaign for Swedish band The Hives taking a No.8 spot in the official German charts, as well as frontline campaigns for Viagra Boys (YEAR0001), Run The Jewels (Seeker) and BLOND (Odyssey), which all saw notable chart success in the region.
Separately, FUGA has announced the arrival of its in-platform integration with the marketing platform, found.ee, which was acquired by Downtown in 2021.
The integration will allow FUGA’s 1,000+ global label clients and their artists to connect directly to found.ee within the FUGA platform.
“I am delighted to be joining FUGA and working closely once again with independent labels, the creative drivers of the music industry.”
Desiree J. Vach, General Manager, GSA, FuGA
Desiree J.Vach, FUGA’s General Manager of GSA said: “I am delighted to be joining FUGA and working closely once again with independent labels, the creative drivers of the music industry.
“With FUGA’s advanced technology and wide-range of services, plus the deep knowledge it has to offer, I look forward to working together with Liz and the team to further develop FUGA’s presence in GSA and support independent labels to reach and maximize their full potential.”
‘The GSA region is an increasingly strong market for FUGA and we are excited to be welcoming Desiree in her new role to lead our team and business development on the ground.”
Liz Northeast, SVP of EMEA, FUGA
Liz Northeast, SVP of EMEA added: “The GSA region is an increasingly strong market for FUGA and we are excited to be welcoming Desiree in her new role to lead our team and business development on the ground.
“Her vast experience, knowledge and understanding of both the independent distribution space and the GSA market is unparalleled. I look forward to working alongside Desiree to continue expanding FUGA’s presence in the region and connecting more clients to global audiences.”Music Business Worldwide
