As Redeye Worldwide marks its 30th anniversary, the US-based distributor is targeting the UK as part of a wider international expansion.
Executives from Redeye (which was acquired by Exceleration Music in 2023) have spoken exclusively to Music Week about their vision for growth across digital and physical.
Since joining Exceleration three years ago, Redeye’s international growth has accelerated significantly with the distributor’s business outside the US increasing by almost 50% in terms of revenue across physical and digital. The UK business at Redeye has also doubled in that time.
The expansion has continued with the promotion of Redeye’s Jill Wheeler, who has moved to the UK-based role of international business and label development manager.
Redeye has established a strategic agreement with Lasgo Worldwide Media for the provision of UK and Ireland physical fulfilment services, along with Bertus for the European market.
Following Exceleration’s major acquisition of Cooking Vinyl a year ago, Redeye has further strengthened its market position in the UK by powering global campaigns for the indie label across physical and digital. The partnership has already delivered Top 5 UK albums from Embrace, Blue, James Morrison and Callum Beattie, among other chart results.
Redeye also has new and expanded partnerships for the UK with Untitled (Recs), Killer Candy Records and Soundway Records, with further conversations underway on more deals.
On the streaming side, Redeye has overseen a global campaign for Jalen Ngonda, a UK-based singer signed to Daptone. As well as supporting Olivia Dean on tour and earning two AIM Independent Music Awards nominations, the US artist has amassed almost 400 million streams.
Here, Michael Petkov, head of international at Redeye, and Jill Wheeler, international business and label development manager, discuss the market opportunity in the UK…
How is the UK arm of the business developing and what are the ambitions here?
Jill Wheeler: “Redeye have had a strong presence in the UK for more than 20 years! We have team members overseeing our UK physical business, with a strong emphasis on independent record stores. Our team also manages local DSP relationships which has earned us significant digital growth and coverage not just in the UK but throughout Europe. I am now actively working to grow that strong base.
“Our partnership with Exceleration has brought their repertoire into our offering, including the addition of Cooking Vinyl, which has already delivered four top 5 UK albums – most recently Embrace’s Avalanche, debuting at No.5 in June. Our aim is to continue to grow the presence not only of Redeye, but of all the individual labels we work with whether based in or outside of the UK.”
We are actively working to strengthen our connections in the UK, and to ensure that labels and artists know we are a competitive, truly independent option
Jill Wheeler
What does the appointment of Jill bring to Redeye’s UK operation?
Michael Petkov: “Jill is our dedicated person on the ground to build relationships and develop our presence further. With the momentum we have, we want to progress further in the market. She set up a fantastic Redeye event at the Great Escape. The momentum that we have now, we really want to use that and progress further in the market.”
How significant has the addition of Cooking Vinyl been to your client roster, now that you share a parent company?
MP: “Cooking Vinyl definitely took us to a new level in the market. We also represent cooking vinyl globally, which is exciting for us. From my perspective in the UK, it just helped us to learn quickly where we’ve got to be, and I think we’ve reached that point. There was a partnership and effort between them and us. We want to deliver for them, and I think they're quite pleased with how our system works for them.
“We can combine [with Cooking Vinyl] on a highly competitive UK charting campaign, but also expand that with fairly little operational effort into other markets like the US. The level of access we give them to our team, and through our systems, I think that really resonated with them. We try to make ourselves available to every label as much as we can, which also sets us apart.”
Cooking Vinyl definitely took us to a new level in the market
Michael Petkov
How are you looking to expand Redeye's partnerships, what kind of companies are a good fit for Redeye and what are the range of services in the UK?
JW: “Our ideal partners are open to working with us digitally and physically worldwide. We are providing competitive, efficient and truly independent access to a global marketplace. Specifically our UK offering has never been stronger; we have delivered UK chart success, achieved stronger results with DSPs, and succeeded in expanding our sales to physical retail. As we continue to develop, we are actively working to strengthen our connections in the UK, and to ensure that labels and artists know we are a competitive, truly independent option, not just for the UK, but as a worldwide distribution solution.”
Finally, how have you been driving streaming growth for Jalen Ngonda?
JW: “Our campaign for Jalen Ngonda's second album, Doctrine of Love, demonstrates the value of long-term artist development. Since Jalen signed to Daptone in 2022, we've worked hand-in-hand with the label across two album campaigns, helping build momentum at every stage of his career. Today, he has billboards across the UK and more than 386 million streams, which is supported by a rapidly growing global audience. Success stories like Jalen's aren't created by algorithms alone. They are the product of strong label partnerships, trusted relationships with DSPs and retailers, and years of work behind the scenes.”
Subscribers can read our magazine story with Redeye Worldwide and Exceleration Music here.
PHOTO: York Wilson
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