UK-based global D2C e-commerce music retailer and distributor Townsend Music has been acquired by Dutch company Artone.
The acquisition is a good fit for Artone, which provides a comprehensive offering for physical products in the music industry. Townsend Music will join a group that includes Bertus Distribution, the pressing plant Record Industry, as well as labels V2, Music On Vinyl and Music On CD).
Townsend Music will provide an integral part of Artone’s end-to-end solution and the company is set to continue its growth and expansion plans. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“The acquisition is another welcome step for Artone’s continued expansion of its service portfolio and gives us a presence in the UK market,” said CEO Jan Willem Kaasschieter. “This acquisition strengthens our position as a global leader in physical music distribution. We’re excited about the opportunities this will bring and look forward to driving the future of physical music together, developing further global reach and innovative solutions for the benefit of the music industry.”
Townsend Music’s model of servicing white-label artist-led online shops and independent music retailers has been a consistent success in terms of Top 10 placings.
The company’s in-house marketing, driven by an online community and affiliate campaigns, boosts sales by expanding fan data and attracting new, engaged audiences. It has attracted over 1,000 artists as clients including Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Van Morrison, Simply Red and Placebo.
This acquisition strengthens our position as a global leader in physical music distribution
Jan Willem Kaasschieter
“The partnership with Artone offers Townsend a clear opportunity to push its European expansion strategy forward quickly, with Artone’s well established sales, distribution and manufacturing facilities already in place,” said Townsend Music founder Steve Bamber.
“Our goal has always been to become a truly global D2C company for music and merchandise,” added sales director Bruce McKenzie. “And now with 14 offices throughout Europe we can expand and upscale very quickly. Artone’s suite of services from vinyl manufacturing, EU physical distribution, and label services gives us perfect synergy to offer both our D2C clients and super-fan customers a super charged service.”
According to figures from the UK’s ERA (Entertainment Retailers’ Association), pure sales grew by 7.9% in the first half of 2024, with vinyl up 13.5% year-on-year to £86.3m. CD sales in the UK also grew, up 3.2% to £57.9m.
In the US, revenue from vinyl sales improved for the 17th consecutive year with a 10.7% increase in units sold (24.3 million) and a 17% increase in revenue ($739.9m), according to the RIAA 2024 half-year report.
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