CD Child, one of many greatest do-it-yourself distribution providers within the business, laid off members of its creator providers staff final week, a supply near the matter tells Billboard. Answerable for offering buyer assist, this staff is now being “consolidat[ed]” in an effort to “re-allocat[e] sources” throughout the firm, says a spokesperson for CD Child.
Information of CD Child’s employment cuts echo the current information that Distrokid was inserting 37 union workers answerable for high quality management and customer support on “administrative depart.” These roles had been to be outsourced to contractors, situated internationally. Its different competitor, TuneCore, was just lately sued by UMG in a landmark $500 million lawsuit for allegedly permitting its customers to distribute songs that clearly infringed on UMG’s copyrights to streaming providers.
Over the past 12 months or so, plenty of music companies, even past the realm of DIY distribution, have restructured their firms, leaving a whole lot, if not 1000’s, of music professionals on the seek for new jobs. This 12 months alone, UMG fully restructured its recorded music division, shedding a whole lot of workers. WMG adopted go well with with related restructuring of Atlantic Music Group and layoffs. WMG additionally shut down LEVEL, one in every of its distributors. In late 2023, BMG laid off “dozens” in its movie/television, theatrical and worldwide advertising and marketing departments.
A spokesperson for CD Child replied to Billboard’s request for remark, saying: “In an effort to assist the altering wants of artists and the business, we’re consolidating sure CD Child features inside Downtown and re-allocating sources in the direction of long-term progress alternatives. Sadly, this has resulted within the elimination of sure roles and positions at CD Child. We need to acknowledge the achievements of those workers members throughout their tenure with CD Child. Their dedication to innovation helped CD Child to turn into a globally acknowledged chief within the distribution house. Going ahead, we’ll keep dedicated to this music-first and pioneering method, constructing the providers that profit artists right this moment and sooner or later.”
CD Child has helped unbiased musicians get their music out since its founding in 1998. Within the intervening years, it has turn into one of many pioneers and leaders of the DIY distributor market, democratizing the music enterprise and opening it as much as musicians of all backgrounds. CD Child, and the opposite providers owned by its mother or father firm AVL Digital Group, bought to Downtown Music Holdings in 2021 for a reported $200 million {dollars}. On the time, CD Child’s then-CEO Tracy Maddux stated of the deal: “This transaction will permit us to take the providers we provide the unbiased music neighborhood to the subsequent degree.”
