Dance label Cr2 Records has signed an exclusive long-term artist deal with platinum-selling artist and producer Matt Sassari.
The global signing follows Cr2’s close collaboration with Believe’s UK office, with which it signed a global distribution deal in 2021. Believe triumphed in the Label/Artist Services category at the Music Week Awards last week.
Cr2’s longstanding relationship with Marseille-based Sassari began in 2017 with the release of his remix of Popof’s Alcoolic.
Over the past two years, Cr2’s collaboration with Sassari and his own label, Sass, has been supported by Believe’s specialist dance and electronic imprint, b:electronic. Cr2 has engaged Believe’s global marketing services on singles campaigns, paving the way for the breakout success of Sassari’s 2021 release Give It To Me.
The first track to be released under the b:electronic partnership, Give It To Me has become one of Cr2’s biggest global hits. Over the course of an 18-month marketing campaign across 20 different territories, it received strategic support from Believe’s in-house audience development and DSP editorial and marketing partnership teams.
Since then, Give It To Me has amassed more than 1.5 million combined digital format single sales, and more than 250 million global streams, going on to be certified platinum worldwide. It is now gold in Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland, and is on its way to silver in the UK. Sassari’s number of monthly Spotify listeners has grown to more than nine million.
“Supported by Believe’s close, long-term relationships with DSPs, Cr2’s success with Sassari is testament to the ongoing shift in dance music away from traditional territorial licensing to globally coordinated, data-driven campaigns,” said a statement.
The timing couldn’t have been better for this partnership and the launch of Matt Sassari after the huge growth of dance music
Ben Rimmer
Ben Rimmer, regional director, label & artist solutions, Believe UK & Northern Europe, said: “The timing couldn’t have been better for this partnership and the launch of Matt Sassari after the huge growth of dance music over the past two years. Matt Sassari’s breakthrough is a very modern success story, showing the power of digital, global independence, and dance music’s truly international appeal.”
Mark Brown, founder of Cr2 Records, said: “We’re delighted to have signed Matt on a long-term artist deal and continue developing him as one of the next generation of global dance superstars. We heard something special in Matt that he also had the ability to work with vocals as well as produce great club tunes. Matt has a distinctive sound that lends itself to the underground as well as big crossover records like Give It To Me.”
Stephen Macias, manager of Matt Sassari, added: “We’re more than happy to be able to work with such an amazing team at Cr2 Records and their partners, Believe. Together we are breaking Matt as a globally respected artist and we are excited to continue this relationship long term whilst achieving great success and bringing more platinum discs, haha.’’
In February, Sassari released Sleepwalking, his collaboration with Goodboys, which had the most successful first week of any Cr2 record.
Other releases under Believe and Cr2’s partnership to date include Hugel’s hits Morenita and Mariela (Que Pasa), which have amassed over 150 million and 30 million global streams respectively.
Upcoming releases to be distributed under Cr2’s label services deal with Believe include records from Matt Sassari, Hugel, Quarterhead and Miggy Dela Rosa.
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