Sony Music’s The Orchard has made the strategic acquisition of Above Board, a dance and electronic music distribution and artist/label services company.
As part of the agreement, The Orchard says that Above Board’s roster will have access to its global distribution and artist and label services.
London-based Above Board Founder and Managing Director Dan Hill will report to The Orchard’s Managing Director Ian Dutt.
The team is now based in The Orchard’s UK headquarters.
Hill founded Above Board in 2007, having worked in electronic music since his early teens. His 20-plus years in the music industry includes experience at record labels, record shops, events management plus club promotion.
In his role, Hill will continue to sign and develop global dance/electronic talent for Above Board.
According to The Orchard, since its inception in 2007, Above Board has played an “integral role” in developing UK and Europe-based electronic music artists including Peggy Gou, Charlotte de Witte, Patrick Topping, Jamie Jones, and Maceo Plex.
The addition of Above Board to The Orchard’s brands along with key hires in the US and Europe furthers the company’s expansion into the dance/electronic music genre.
The Orchard roster of dance labels already includes Liquid State/Dimitri Vegas, Amtrac, TMRW Music Group, Rose Avenue, and more.
Recent label signings include Perfect Havoc (UK) and Solomun’s DIYnamic (Germany), among others.
“The Above Board team is excited about this new chapter of our company and we are now fully immersed into The Orchard’s ecosystem.”
Dan Hill
Of the partnership, Hill said: “The Above Board team is excited about this new chapter of our company and we are now fully immersed into The Orchard’s ecosystem.
“The new relationship gives Above Board the global infrastructure and resources to match our artists’ and labels’ ambition, plus gives them the platform to ensure they retain the rights to their music.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dan and his team to The Orchard. Their standing and experience in this genre of music are second to none.”
Ian Dutt
Dutt added: “We are delighted to welcome Dan and his team to The Orchard. Their standing and experience in this genre of music are second to none.
“It was crucial to The Orchard that we partnered with a company entirely immersed in the culture of electronic music. Collectively we want to make a positive impact in this space by providing exciting, future-facing options for producer and DJ owned independent labels globally.”Music Business Worldwide
