Proper Classical Department Strike a Chord with 2018 Success

• Signs up 28 classical labels for distribution
• October boasts 23% increase in year-on-year sales
• Score a Classical Chart Number One album with Avie Records Vivaldi release

 London, 22 November: The classical department of Proper Music Group, the UK’s largest independent distributor, have enjoyed a stellar 2018, adding a further 28 labels to their distribution roster whilst achieving impressive growth. The additions include the likes of Prima Classic, the new label set up by star Latvian opera singer Marina Rebeka, and E54 Music, set to release previously unheard music by nuevo tango pioneer Astor Piazzolla The UK’s Albion Records, run by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, EM Records, and First Hand Records, Germany’s Ars Produktion, Carus, and Coviello and Belgium’s Passacaille also join Proper’s distribution roster. The new additions strengthen a department that has seen notable successes over the year to date. La Serenissima and Adrian Chandler’s “Vivaldi x2” (Avie Records) reached the Number One spot on the Specialist Classical Chart in July and was named ‘Recording of the Month’ in BBC Music Magazine whilst the same magazine acclaimed Dénes Várjon’s “De la nuit” (ECM New Series). During 2018, recordings distributed by Proper have achieved 12 ‘Editor’s Choices’ in Gramophone magazine, including three for Adam Fischer and the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker for their Mahler series on C-Avi. Driven by these strong releases, October ’18 of this year saw an impressive sales increase of nearly a quarter compared with October 17. This follows a steady 7.7% growth in revenues from April to September of 2018 versus the same period for 2017. These increases exclude releases from many of the new additions to the roster. As it begins to service its latest clients, with just short of 100,000 units shipped so far since April 18, the classical department’s success looks set to continue well throughout 2019.Proper Music Group MD, Drew Hill, commented: “It is great to see the stellar work being done by our classical department achieving such strong sales figures as well as being acknowledged widely in the classical music press. Their dedication and industry expertise is helping to expose these amazing works to people everywhere.” About Proper Music GroupProper Music Group is a full services company providing everything from global physical and digital distribution to artist and label services, publishing, online retail and its own record label. Clients are able to tap into as much or as little of Proper’s offering as fits their needs. Its distribution arm, Proper Music Distribution – the largest totally independent physical distributor in the UK – is renowned for having the knowledge, experience and personal service of an independent specialist coupled with the reach and power of a major. The company represents over five percent of the UK physical recorded music market, handling over 1,000,000 titles at any time. Proper Music Group received The Company Award: Diversity In The Workplace at the Women In Music Awards 2017, and was also awarded best Sales Team at 2017’s Music Week Awards.www.propermusicgroup.com