Photo by Justin Eisner on Unsplash
AVL Digital Group, parent company of CD Baby and Disc Makers, already one of the largest distributors and service providers to independent artists, has made a major step into B2B services with the acquisition of LA-based AudioMicro and its AdRev and DashGo divisions. The purchase adds significant capabilities for CD Baby to serve record labels, publishers, and other music companies. The company now represents one of the largest catalogs of song rights in the world.
AudioMicro includes the YouTube monetization platform AdRev, one of the world’s largest YouTube Content ID managers and Multi-Channel Networks; label services provider and distributor DashGo, whose powerful API is used by independent labels to send metadata automatically to music services; and synchronization licensing platform AudioMicro.com.
“Bringing these companies together with CD Baby will amplify our ability to serve more kinds of clients, from newly minted independent artists to established labels and publishers,” explains Tony van Veen, AVL Digital Group CEO. “The number of rights we now represent has multiplied substantially, and we have strengthened our arsenal of technology for rights holders with this acquisition. I’m very excited with how AdRev’s unique Content ID technology and DashGo’s API will help optimize asset monetization for artists, labels, and publishers across the globe.”
“As a company, CD Baby has a long history of using best-in-class technology to locate and claim all of the money made from all uses of our clients’ music,” CD Baby CEO Tracy Maddux says. “The addition of AdRev and DashGo allows us to offer more in-demand services to our existing clientele, our core business of independent artists and small labels, and help monetize the content of a much broader range of music companies.”
Together, the companies will become one of the world’s largest music asset administrators. CD Baby already distributes almost 9 million tracks with nearly 1 million as publishing administrator and DashGo brings an additional 250,000 sound recordings as well as digital retail playlist, sales and marketing expertise. “Worldwide, it makes us one of the largest players, perhaps even the largest,” notes Maddux. “It's a big move for us in terms of asset administration capabilities.”
“We’re excited to add our LA team and capabilities to the CD Baby crew, and to continue to strengthen our technology to monetize our clients’ assets even more efficiently,” adds AudioMicro CEO Noah Becker. “Our whole staff is excited to be on board. This will help us grow even faster than before.”
AudioMicro’s headquarters will remain in Los Angeles, the hub of sync and production music. “It’s a great strategic fit for CD Baby,” Maddux concludes.
About CD Baby
CD Baby is one of the largest distributors of independent music on the planet, home to almost 650,000 artists and nearly 9 million tracks that are made available to 100+ digital services and platforms around the globe. Artists on the platform are empowered to monetize their rights while maintaining control of their own careers, and have collectively earned well over $500 million since the company’s founding. CD Baby’s Publishing Administration service allows over 130,000 songwriters to collect all of their publishing royalties. CD Baby has become the go-to partner for many icons in the new music industry. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Twenty One Pilots, and Macklemore had their start on CD Baby, while others like Ingrid Michaelson and Gregory Alan Isakov have maintained independent and highly successful careers while partnering with CD Baby. The CD Baby umbrella of business units also includes CD Baby Publishing Administration, CD Baby Licensing, distribution platform Soundrop, CD Baby Manufacturing, marketing suite Show.co, CD Baby YouTube Administration, multi-channel network Illustrated Sound, website host HostBaby, the CD Baby Store for downloads and physical sales, promotional tool HearNow. CD Baby is a division of AVL Digital Group, which is also the parent company of Disc Makers.