Photo Credit: Alison Wenham (COO, Chrysalis Records), Darius Van Arman (Co-CEO, Secretly Distribution), Jeremy Lascelles (CEO, Chrysalis Records)
Independent record company Chrysalis Records has announced a new physical and digital distribution deal with Secretly Distribution.
London-based record company Chrysalis Records, part of the Reservoir Group, has announced a new agreement with Secretly Distribution. The global deal covers all physical and digital distribution for the label’s frontline releases.
The deal will include new projects from Laura Marling, Emeli Sandé, Ben Harper, William The Conqueror, and The Wandering Hearts, as well as its latest acquisitions, Marika Hackman, Gia Ford, and others. The label’s first release with Secretly Distribution is The Endless Coloured Ways – The Songs of Nick Drake, with its first track, “Cello Song,” launched globally last week.
Initially launched in 1968, London-based Chrysalis Records was acquired in 2016 by Blue Raincoat Music, an artist management, music publishing, and record label company founded by Jeremy Lascelles and Robin Millar. It was relaunched in 2020 as a frontline label, marking its return to releasing new music for the first time in over two decades.
Founded in 1997, Secretly Distribution celebrates its 25th anniversary as a global digital and physical distribution network serving all major markets worldwide. Offering hands-on development, marketing, technology, investment, and support to a diverse array of labels and artists, including Dead Oceans, drink sum wtr, Ghostly International, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records, Secretly Canadian, The Numero Group, 37d03d, Sacred Bones, Captured Tracks, Run For Cover, Rhymesayers, Joyful Noise, Father/Daughter, Big Crown, Colemine, and many more.
“I have long been an admirer of the Secretly group of companies and the incredible music that they release on their various labels,” says Jeremy Lascelles, CEO of Blue Raincoat Music and Chrysalis Records. “Having gotten to know (co-founder) Chris Swanson, we felt like kindred spirits with a lot of musical taste in common. So when the moment came to reappraise our global distribution arrangements, it was clear to us that there was no better possible partner.”
“Alison Wenham, our COO, has done a fantastic job pulling this deal together with Chris, Darius, and the Secretly team,” Lascelles continues. “We think they will provide invaluable support to the Chrysalis roster of artists as we enter an exciting and busy phase of new releases.”
“It is a great privilege to be working with the one and only Chrysalis Records, who are independent (again), and who have released so many iconic albums over the last 55 years,” adds Darius Van Arman, Co-CEO of Secretly Distribution.
“The Chrysalis ethos has always been about putting artists, art, and culture first, which aligns with everything that Secretly Distribution is about. Jeremy, Alison, and the whole Chrysalis team are truly dedicated to being the most creatively nourishing home for the artists they partner with; we’re so honored to be what they feel is the right global distribution platform for their frontline artists.”