Red Bull Records ink global distro deal with Sony Music

Red Bull Records has expanded its Sony Music Australia distribution deal to a global deal, excluding Japan.

Red Bull Records releases have been distributed through Sony/Red in the US since the label’s inception in 2007 and Sony had been the sole distributor in Australia and New Zealand prior to Red Bull’s signing of Beartooth, who is distributed via UNFD.

When TMN spoke to Red Bull Records SVP Global Artist & Label Development Joe Calitri he said the success of UK artist Itch (pictured)here in Australia helped give the expanded deal legs.

“The Itch thing took on so many new lives after we had that success with Another Man,” Calitri said.

When the track was released in Australia before any other territory last year, it went to #8 on the Shazam chart, #12 on the ARIA chart where it sat for two weeks, held onto the ARIA Top 30 for eleven weeks, and is well on its way to achieving double Platinum certification.

“It’s really made Australia become one of our top two or three priority territories in the world,” Calitri told TMN. I’m excited that the Itch thing lead to conversations that lead to a much bigger deal with Sony.”

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“The success of Itch in Australia in conjunction with a fresh partnership with Sony only made it more apparent that we should work with them on a global scale,” Red Bull Records Managing Director Greg Hammer told TMN.

The deal marks the first time Red Bull Records has had one distributor for the world outside Japan.

“We were deeply impressed with the Sony team members we metwith around the globe – their drive and creativity made it a clear option for the label,” Hammer told TMN.

The deal includes licensing for all DSP and streaming sites except YouTube, for which Red Bull Records take a direct role in.

The first LP release under the deal is Run by US band AWOLNATION. The album follows Megalithic Symphony, which included the 2x Platinum (and Platinum in NZ) single Sail. Run’s lead single Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) has just been serviced to Australian radio.

Adam Granite, President, Northern & Eastern Europe and Africa, Sony Music International said in a statement: “We are incredibly excited to expand our relationship with Red Bull Records. Our teams around the world can’t wait to work with their outstanding roster – and with a unique partner who brings extraordinary marketing power to the table. We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership together.”