Exceleration Music Enters Into Strategic Partnership with Co-Founders of Rounder Records on New Label Venture
Exceleration Music, the prominent global independent music company dedicated to advancing the future of independent music, has announced a strategic partnership with the pioneering founders of Rounder Records — widely considered one of the premiere American indie labels of the past 50 years — on their new venture Down The Road.
The strategic partnership brings together the expertise of the original leadership team who founded Rounder Records in 1970 — Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin, as well as the label’s first and long-standing President/CEO, John Virant — with Exceleration Music’s partners and leadership team.
Irwin, Levy, Nowlin and Virant led Rounder Records together for 40 years, steering their roster to over 40 Grammy wins during that time. The label was responsible for a broad range of genre-defining releases across many musical styles.
Down The Road will focus on the historic depth and breadth of Americana, including releases from banjo master Tony Trischka (with a lead single featuring Billy Strings), 21-time IBMA-winning bluegrass group Blue Highway, and Dervish, the leading contemporary performers of Irish traditional music.
The label will also reissue 14 catalog titles produced by the Rounder Records co-founders in recent years.
“Ken, Marian, Bill and John epitomize what it means to be an indie,” says Exceleration Music partner Glen Barros. “They have always followed their heart and instincts in recording what they know and love. This formula led to many hundreds of culturally important and often incredibly successful recordings. And while doing this, they’ve also continually supported the indie and musical communities in which they work. We are so grateful that they’re joining the Exceleration family and very much look forward to helping them build upon their incredible legacy.”
Down the Road’s enthusiasm and musical vision were eloquently summed up by fellow-founder John Virant:
“Glen, John, Amy, Dave and Charles are building a visionary and critical organization for independent labels and their artists. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join them and the rest of the Exceleration team. We intend to continue our tradition of nurturing and supporting artists based in roots music traditions of the past into the future.”
For Exceleration Music, the announcement follows news of a substantial expansion in its operational reach — acquiring leading independent worldwide digital and physical distribution and music services company Redeye, as well as Yep Roc and Sundazed (Redeye’s in-house labels), and Redeye’s publishing company Riff City Sounds.
With this expansion, Exceleration and Redeye go against industry trends to provide each of their partner labels with a fully independent, self-sustaining and well-resourced path to market.
Redeye will distribute Down The Road, alongside their ongoing relationships with several of the world’s top independent labels including Beggars Group, Domino, New West and Saddle Creek. Company founders Glenn Dicker and Tor Hansen are both former employees of Rounder Records, working under Irwin, Levy, Nowlin and Virant before founding Redeye in 1996.
