WMG CEO Robert Kyncl. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Warner Music Group is acquiring the B2B independent music distribution service Revelator, the company announced on Wednesday, the latest affirmation of the hot market for distributors as music companies are looking to capitalize on the indie market.
Neither Revalator nor WMG shared financial details of the sale, though they said the deal is expected to close next financial quarter.
“The combination of Revelator’s leading-edge technology and array of premier services with our global infrastructure will turbocharge our joint mission to support more labels and artists around the world,” WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. “I’m very pleased to welcome the Revelator team to the WMG family.”
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As Revelator Founder & CEO Bruno Guez added: “Since launching Revelator in 2012, we’ve striven to make the music industry fairer, simpler, and more transparent by bridging the gap between creativity, technology, and distribution. We’re very happy to partner with WMG to superserve artists, labels, and distributors around the world.”
WMG’s Revelator deal follows Universal Music Group subsidiary Virgin Music’s $775 million purchase of Downtown Music, which gave the company distribution services CD Baby and FUGA. Concord, meanwhile, purchased indie distributor Stem a year ago as well. Music companies targeting distribution platforms reflects the continued surge of the independent music market, which has grown significantly in the streaming era as artists can record and release music on their own with much more ease. With less desire for traditional label deals, record companies are targeting independent distribution services to have a bigger stake in the industry’s future. Getting distributors also helps grow market share.
WMG had previously considered purchasing French music company Believe, parent company to prominent music distributor TuneCore, though Warner subsequently decided in 2024 not to pursue the deal.
WMG’s Revelator acquisition is the latest in the company’s change of its distribution business as it competes with Sony’s The Orchard and UMG’s Virgin Music. Last summer, WMG had appointed Warner Music Latin America president Alejandro Duque as president of its distribution arm ADA, with former president Kat Kreidich announcing the day prior that she was stepping down.
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