ANTRA
Music Group announced
Thursday it has entered into a distribution agreement with Artemis
Records, which in turn is distributed by RED, a division of Sony.
Artemis is headed by Danny Goldberg who is one of the leading
executives in the recording industry.
According
to Joseph Marrone the reason for the signing with Artemis was
to incorporate the talent and experience of Danny Goldberg and
his team to assist in the promotion and distribution of the music.
Danny Goldberg from 1995 to 1998 was chairman, CEO and president
of the Mercury Records Group, Polygram’s largest US division.
According to Soundscan the music industry standard for sales,
in 1998 Mercury Records Group was the number one record label
in the U.S. for current product year. The Mercury Records Group
included Mercury, Motown, Def Jam, Deutsche Grammophon, London
Classics and Phillips. Hit artists on these labels include Shania
Twain, Boyz II Men, Andrea Bocelli, Brian McKnight, Kiss, Jay-Z,
and LL Cool J.
The
company also announced the forthcoming release of its next album
"The Streets" performed by Kurupt, scheduled for Oct.
19, 1999 with tracks produced by Daz, and Dr. Dre. The company’s
second release is planned for the first quarter of 2000. "We
plan to release an additional 3 to 5 albums during calendar year
2000," according to Joseph Marrone, CEO.
"The distribution agreement replaces our former joint venture
and enables us to retain exclusive ownership of all master recordings.
This will allow us to build a substantial catalogue while maximizing
our profits," confirmed Marrone.