CD Baby Announces Acquisition of Show.co and Related Assets

CD Baby, the leading distribution and royalty administration destination for independent artists, has acquired Show.co, the digital music marketing platform and Soundrop, once the most popular playlisting and social listening app for Spotify.

“We’re excited to continue Show.co’s powerful marketing tools for musicians,” explains Kevin Breuner, VP of Marketing at CD Baby. “It’s another set of tools we can offer to the independent musicians we have worked to support and encourage for years.”

More than 5,000 labels and artists use Show.co to share content and collect important data that strengthens their connection to their fans. The Portland, OR-based firm plans no changes to Show.co’s services.

In addition to continuing Show.co’s offerings, CD Baby plans to revamp Soundrop, which went dormant after Spotify shifted its third-party app strategy. Soundrop will become the new springboard for artists looking for an alternative distribution approach, one that favors constant creation and single-first strategies. The revived Soundrop will be the new home for many Loudr artists, the distribution service CD Baby acquired earlier this year.

“We are very happy to see a new home for Show.co and a new future for the Soundrop brand,” says Jørn Haanæs, Soundrop’s former CEO. “Soundrop and Show.co were both about helping artists connect with their fans. To finally see the last part of our original vision take effect is wonderful.  Entering into music distribution was always the dream, as that’s the ultimate fan connection, now it’s soon to be the reality.”

It’s all part of CD Baby’s ongoing efforts to put artists’ needs first and to find the right tools and services to support their careers. “We see this as another high-caliber way to serve musicians and give them the best of what’s out there,” concludes Breuner. “For existing Show.co customers, it will be business as usual.”

About CD Baby

CD Baby is one of the largest distributors of independent music on the planet, home to almost 500,000 artists and 7 million tracks, getting independent music to more than 100 digital services and platforms around the globe and allowing artists to monetize their presence on YouTube. Its one-stop professional dashboard, CD Baby Pro, allows indie musicians to collect all of their publishing royalties. CD Baby Pro administers the publishing rights of more than 500,000 songs for 100,000 songwriters.

CD Baby has become the go-to partner for many icons in the new music industry. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Macklemore had their start on CD Baby, while others like Ingrid Michaelson and Gregory Alan Isakov have maintained independent and highly successful careers. Greg Brown and Rooney are among musicians who’ve dropped the old label system and turned to CD Baby to strike out on their own.