KOCH To Distribute Compendia Music Group

KOCH Entertainment Distribution Assumes Distribution For All Compendia Music Group Labels

(Port Washington, New York)--October 9, 2003--KOCH Entertainment Distribution, the leading independent distributor of music, video and DVD, announced today that it has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Nashville-based, Compendia Music Group. Under this agreement, KOCH will distribute all labels under the Compendia Music Group which include Compendia Records (Joan Osborne, the late Robert Palmer, The Tony Rich Project, Ivan Neville), gospel label Light Records (Mighty Clouds of Joy, RiZen, Bishop Paul S. Morton), Intersound Music (Kansas, T. Graham Brown, Gene Watson) and Life² (Delilah’s My Child project, author Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance: Music of Comfort and Joy). In addition to the newly recorded material that has been released since the company’s launch in January 2002, Compendia also owns a substantial music catalog, consisting of more than 10,000 master recordings in a wide variety of genres.   

“We need a distributor that will match our company’s passion, commitment and integrity, and we’ve found that in KOCH Entertainment Distribution,” said Michael Olsen, CEO of Compendia Music Group. “In less than two years as a record company, we’ve established ourselves as a home for quality artists with critically acclaimed releases, as well as a ‘go-to’ company for catalog titles and licensing,” Olsen continues.  “In a consolidated retail environment, KOCH provides us with incredible muscle in that marketplace. Working with the strongest independent distributor in the industry allows us to focus on our artists and our music. This is the next important step in Compendia Music Group’s ongoing growth, and we’re poised to surge forward with this additional power.”

Michael Rosenberg, President of KOCH Entertainment Distribution adds, “Much in the same tradition as KOCH, Compendia has built an impressive reputation as a true-independent music company in a relatively short period of time.  We look forward to working with Compendia as they continue to expand and build on the strength of their high profile catalog and artist roster.”

In conjunction with the new distribution deal with KOCH, Compendia will close its Alpharetta, Georgia, distribution center, moving all of the company’s operations to the Nashville, Tennessee, home office. Several administrative staff positions at the Alpharetta facility will relocate to Nashville, and a number of distribution-related positions will be eliminated over the coming months.

Compendia Music Group is an independent record company whose labels include Compendia Records, Light Records, Life² and Intersound Music. These labels, each with a separate staff and musical focus, produce and distribute a wide variety of music, including rock, R&B, soul, pop, gospel, lifestyle/inspirational, country, Christian and classical. For more information, please visit www.compendiamusic.com.

KOCH Entertainment is the leading and fastest-growing independent music company in the U.S.  KOCH's operations encompass record and video labels, music publishing, as well as distribution companies in the U.S. and Canada.  KOCH Entertainment is the market leader among independent labels and distributors in both the U.S. and Canada and its record labels had the largest number of Billboard charting albums among independents in 2002/2003. For more information, please visit www.kochent.com.

For more information on KOCH Entertainment Distribution, please contact James Scileppi at (516) 484-1000 Ext. 243 or email james.scileppi@kochent.com.  For information on Compendia Music Group, please contact Judy McDonough at (615) 277-1824 or email jmcdonough@compendiamusic.com.

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