Independent music distributor The Orchard — a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment — has penned a new deal with Mass Appeal Records, a label co-founded by Grammy-award winner Nas in 2014, alongside Peter Bittenbender. The new partnership was announced on Wednesday (May 26).
Through the venture, Mass Appeal will sign artists directly, with access to The Orchard’s suite of services, including full-service marketing, sync licensing, video services, transparent data analysis, advertising, rights management and radio, among other resources.
Nas — who began his career at the Sony-owned Columbia Records — will also release new music through the partnership. Mass Appeal was previously signed into a distribution deal with Universal Music Group, which included releasing Nas’ albums NASIR (2018), The Lost Tapes 2 (2019) and the Grammy-winning King’s Disease (2020) in collaboration with Def Jam Recordings.
“This is a full circle moment for me,” Nas said in a statement. “To come back to Sony Music with my own label is a major milestone. We see this multi-phase initiative as an opportunity to continue to push the culture forward, educate and inspire.”
He added, “It’s what we do it for, I couldn’t be more excited.”
Brad Navin, CEO of The Orchard said in a statement, “As a company and strategic partner, The Orchard will continue to empower and reinforce their creative vision and help all artists under the partnership [to] expand their global reach.”
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