Sony Music Entetrainment and its RED indie ARM are about to announce an alliance with digital distributor IODA, according to one report. There have been rumors and speculation swirling for several days about the tie-up, but I had been waiting for an official announcement to get the details right and comment.
If all that I'm hearing is true, the deal allows Sony and RED to tap into IODA's Rightsholder Dashboard which the major label views as a superior delivery and tracking system to its own. Hundreds of distributed labels and even managers are demanding up to the minute digital sales data that IODA already delivers.
Will IODA Remain Indie?
The deal mimics the Universal hookup with INgrooves for its digital music technology. But what's not clear is whether or not the relationship goes further.
Is IODA just acting as a services provider or licensing it's technology to Sony and RED? Or is Sony Entertainment buying a big stake in IODA as Universal did with INgrooves? If the later is true, it would leave The Orchard the last of the big three digital distributors not tied to a major label group.
What's probable is that the deal allows IODA to tap into the RED distribution system for physical releases. In an ironic twist, combingbrick and mortar distribution with digital distribution in a single deal has proven an attractive bargaining tool for the Orchard via its TVT arm and INgrooves thru Fontana/Universal.
