Fire Records Signs Full-Service Worldwide Digital Distribution Deal with IDOL
Label to work with IDOL’s International team including worldwide retail marketing, dedicated audience development and back catalogue specialists
Latest UK signing to IDOL, following Soundway and Gondwana
Partnership to power new chapter of growth for trailblazing label
IDOL, the fully independent digital distributor, has agreed a full-service digital distribution partnership with independent label Fire Records, home to acts including Black Lips, Jane Weaver, The Lemonheads and Vanishing Twin.
IDOL will handle the digital distribution of Fire Records’ repertoire to its global network of DSPs (excluding South Korea). Fire Records will work closely with IDOL’s international audience development team on marketing and release strategy for frontline releases, with a dedicated specialist working on its considerable back catalogue.
First founded in London in 1984, Fire Records made its name representing acts such as The Blue Aeroplanes, Pulp, Television Personalities and Spacemen 3 throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. The label was reborn in 2002 under Managing Director James Nicholls, who has established Fire Records as one of the leading truly independent labels (“it’s been a roaring year for the indie institution” UNCUT Magazine), with locations in London and New York, as well as new ventures including a publishing and creative synch arm and an acclaimed independent film company.
The partnership with IDOL will help support Fire Records’ continued growth and the execution of its 2023 release programme. This will include 20+ new releases from the likes of RVG, Vanishing Twin, Death And Vanilla, Decisive Pink (Kate NV and Deradoordian) and Jane Weaver, as well as major catalogue reissue programmes across both Fire Records and its Earth Recordings imprint.
James Nicholls, Fire Records Managing Director, said: “IDOL’s music-first approach, independent spirit, and attention to detail fits perfectly with our own ethos at Fire Records. I feel strongly that they're the right partner for this exciting new chapter and to help manage the unstoppable growth of the label group”
IDOL UK General Manager Roo Currier added: “IDOL are extremely happy to welcome Fire Records to our growing roster. Their ethos of quality before all else sits particularly well with us, so we’re excited to work with their excellent team in this new era for the label.”
It also marks the end of a year of significant signings for IDOL’s UK team, including Soundway Records and Gondwana Records.
For more information about Fire Records visit www.firerecords.com
About IDOL
IDOL is a digital distributor that provides world-leading service to some of the most prestigious names in independent music. Its diverse roster, built around the highest standards of artistic curation, includes Erased Tapes, Glitterbeat, Gondwana, Kitsuné, AIM Awards 2022 winners Local Action, Soundway, SRD, Ubisoft and Bandai Namco, while it also works directly with artists including La Femme, Ibrahim Maalouf and Lomepal.
IDOL was founded in 2006 by Pascal Bittard as one of the first fully digital aggregators, with “independence is a strength” as its core belief. Its offering combines unbeatable label management and marketing services with a focus on long-term catalogue development – a combination that consistently achieves better results for its clients.
IDOL operates its own digital distribution platform, Labelcamp, which offers state-of-the-art supply chain management tools and analytics dashboards to its distributed partners. Labelcamp is also available as a SaaS product for third-party labels and distributors, and is used by the likes of [PIAS], Because, Concord and Ditto.
The company has offices in Paris, London, Berlin and Johannesburg, and a presence in New York, LA and Nashville.