Warner Music Group-owned indie label distributor ADA Worldwide has inked a global distribution deal with L.A.-headquartered label Omnivore Recordings.
The deal will see ADA provide global distribution for Omnivore’s entire catalog and new releases, ADA said in a statement on Thursday (December 14).
Omnivore specializes in historical releases and reissues, previously unreleased vintage recordings and some select releases of new music on CD, vinyl and in digital formats.
Founded in 2010 by Grammy Award-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski, graphic designer and photographer Greg Allen, music industry veteran Dutch Cramblitt and ex-WMG exec Brad Rosenberger, Omnivore’s catalog includes recordings from Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Muffs, Steve Cropper, Alex Chilton, Art Pepper and The Cowsills, among others.
Among its recent releases are Art Pepper’s The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings, Laura Nyro’s Trees Of The Ages: Laura Nyro Live In Japan and Stephen Stills’ Live At Berkeley, 1971.
“We are so pleased to be back in the Warner family, where all of us at Omnivore have had deep ties throughout our careers,” Pawelski, a Partner at Omnivore, said in a statement.
“ADA and Warner Music Group have historically prioritized music, artists, quality, and creativity above all else and continue to do so to this day. We look forward to working together in close partnership with ADA Worldwide to release more exciting musical discoveries from the archives.”
Pawelski has crossed paths with WMG in the past, having worked at WMG-owned Rhino Entertainment and served as a consulting producer for Warner Strategic Market, a label that specializes in compilation albums.
Omnivore co-founder Brad Rosenberger spent more than two decades at WMG, including as Senior Vice President, Catalog Development & Marketing, for Warner/Chappell Music.
“ADA and Warner Music Group have historically prioritized music, artists, quality, and creativity above all else and continue to do so to this day.”
Cheryl Pawelski, Omnivore
“Omnivore shares the same passion and respect for high-quality music that we do at ADA,” said Adriana Sein, Global Head of Artist & Market Development, ADA Worldwide. “The team has a remarkable commitment to ensuring their historical releases preserve the original sound of the recording, and they show that same care when it comes to releasing new music in both physical and digital formats.”
Sein added: “With expertise in both areas, and a team dedicated to catalog, we’re excited for this partnership and confident that ADA will help bring Omnivore to the next level.”
Omnivore has racked up a number of industry awards, including Best Historical Album for Hank Williams’ The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 at the 2014 Grammys, and the same award in 2021 for Mister Rogers’ It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers.
“We’re excited for this partnership and confident that ADA will help bring Omnivore to the next level.”
Adriana Sein, ADA Worldwide
The partnership with Omnivore is the latest in a series of partnerships that ADA has signed, including one earlier this year with LA headquartered Rostrum Records and another with Elliot Grainge’s 10K Projects, a standalone label within the WMG ecosystem.
ADA last year formed a joint venture with indie record label and creative agency Big.Ass.Kids (B.A.K.) and signed a global distribution deal with Grammy-nominated producer and artist Murda Beatz.
Most recently, the company signed a “first-of-its-kind” partnership with generative AI music startup Boomy, which will see Boomy’s A&R team bringing “top artists and exclusively curated music” from Boomy’s platform to ADA.
Boomy users have created more than 18.1 million tracks on the AI-powered platform, and the Boomy-ADA deal “represents WMG’s interest in unlocking new possibilities to enhance creativity while protecting the rights of artists,” the company said in a statement.
The deals add to a list of ADA partners that includes Sub-Pop, VP Records, Mute, Chocolate City and others.Music Business Worldwide