Hong Kong-based music production/distribution company iMagine has signed a deal whereby it will distribute San Francisco-based Independent Online Distribution Alliance’s one million-track catalog to retailers and “promotional partners” in Hong Kong, mainland China and other unspecified markets in the region.
The deal will also see iMagine’s catalog of world and Asian music distributed via IODA’s network outside of China, giving iMagine and its represented labels access to more than 350 retailers in North and South America, Europe and Australia.
“We are extremely proud to be partnering with IODA to drive this initiative,” said iMagine CEO Leslie Ching in a statement.
“In China the development of new legitimate music discovery and distribution platforms are essential to establishing an economically viable and sustainable digital music ecosystem,” Ching adds. “Working together with IODA we will bring in a music catalog comprising the strongest quality from a highly adaptive group of labels willing to explore the innovative paths essential to opening and entering the Chinese market in a smart and measured fashion.”
Commented IODA CEO Kevin Arnold in a statement: “This unique partnership represents the potential to deliver more than one million tracks to more than one billion consumers, and is a cornerstone of IODA’s expansion into the region. Access to the Chinese consumer is of course appealing, but we resisted the temptation to rush into a nuanced market until we had the right partner, which we’ve found in Leslie and iMagine.”
