News

Wynton Marsalis signs new deal with The Orchard

On May 13, 2009, The Orchard announced that world renowned trumpeter and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis has entered into a long-term, multi-faceted partnership with the entertainment services company.
The exclusive recording and services agreement between Marsalis and The Orchard will cover co-production of new studio recordings, marketing of live recordings; design and implementation of social networking and other forms of collaborative audience engagement for Marsalis and for jazz as a lifestyle genre; synchronization; initiatives with consumer brands and non-traditional financial partners; and also, Marsalis and his team are working to bring living legends and new talent of all genres into The Orchard’s unique services platform…

“While many decry the state of the music industry, this is an exciting time for artists and the dissemination of music. The Orchard embraces innovation and the many new ways of delivering music to an ever expanding community of music lovers,” commented Marsalis.
Wynton Marsalis has been a leading voice and a musical leader in jazz since bursting onto the scene at age nineteen as part of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In addition to his own projects, Marsalis serves as the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City’s landmark jazz institution, which he played an instrumental role in forming. He joins The Orchard after the release of He and She, the final album recorded under his Blue Note Records contract.
Marsalis has also been an active collaborator recently, including the critically acclaimed “Two Men With The Blues” record released in July of last year, a project with Willie Nelson that has sold over 115,000 units to date; and, an upcoming project with Norah Jones and Willie Nelson. As part of the overall arrangement, in addition to new recordings from Marsalis, The Orchard and Marsalis will draw from Orchard’s diverse and global client base for other creative and commercially viable collaborations.
“We looked into many options; renewing with a major, finding a pure distribution partner and doing the rest ourselves, and working with a non-traditional capital partner. In the end, The Orchard stood out as singular and unique, and we are confident about our future with them,” said Ed Arrendell, President of The Management Ark, Inc and representative of Marsalis since 1982.
“Our partnership with Wynton epitomizes what The Orchard has become for artists and labels who choose fully to embrace the many offerings of our company. The Orchard transcends traditional ‘distribution’ and is pioneering a more financially viable – and interesting – business model, directly applicable to all forms of media and entertainment,” commented Greg Scholl, President and Chief Executive of The Orchard. “Of course, it all starts with the music: our digital and physical marketing teams will work hand-in-hand with Wynton and his team to support the next chapter in his artistic journey. Beyond that, we are excited to announce what we expect to be ground-breaking programs as our jointly-developed plans for Wynton unfold.”
About The Orchard®
The Orchard (NASDAQ:ORCD) is a full service business partner for entertainment companies, music labels, recording artists and songwriters, film studios, and producers. Founded in 1997, the company drives sales across its retail network of more than 600 digital storefronts and mobile carriers in 59 countries. Headquartered in New York and London, with operations in 27 markets around the world, The Orchard offers a comprehensive suite of services focused on customized marketing and promotions, social media, sales development, and technology. An industry pioneer and continued innovator in digital media services, The Orchard fosters creativity and independence. For further information please visit www.theorchard.com
Forward Looking Statements
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding The Orchard’s expectations regarding future events and operating performance within the meaning of Federal Securities laws that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the ability of The Orchard to produce and/or distribute certain products, videos and artist recordings, including those mentioned in the above announcement and design and implement new forms of collaborative audience engagement. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements as they speak only as of the date hereof, and The Orchard undertakes no obligation to update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances except as may be required by law. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in The Orchard’s most recent periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Posted on May 15th, 2009 in News | Tags: news, the orchard