CD Baby, one of the industry’s largest DIY distribution services, laid off members of its creator services team last week, people familiar with the matter said. billboard. The team responsible for providing customer support is now “integrating”[ed]”Redistribute with effort”[e] A spokesperson for CD Baby said the company’s internal resources.
News of CD Baby’s layoffs echoes recent news that Distrokid placed 37 unionized employees responsible for quality control and customer service on “administrative leave.” These roles will be outsourced to international contractors. Another of its competitors, TuneCore, was recently sued by UMG for allegedly allowing its users to distribute songs to streaming services that clearly infringed UMG’s copyright. The lawsuit amounted to as much as $500 million.
Over the past year or so, many music businesses (even beyond the DIY publishing world) have restructured their companies, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands, of music professionals looking for new jobs. This year alone, UMG has completely restructured its recorded music division, laying off hundreds of employees. WMG followed suit with similar restructuring and layoffs at Atlantic Music Group. WMG also closed one of its dealers, LEVEL. In late 2023, BMG laid off “dozens” of people across its film/TV, theatrical and international marketing divisions.
CD Baby spokesperson’s reply advertising billboard Requested for comment, he said: “To support the evolving needs of artists and the industry, we are consolidating certain CD Baby functions downtown and reallocating resources toward long-term growth opportunities. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some of CD Baby’s Roles and positions are being eliminated. We want to recognize these employees for their achievements during their tenure at CD Baby. Their dedication to innovation has helped make CD Baby a globally recognized leader in distribution and we will continue to be committed to this music. A first and groundbreaking approach to creating services that benefit artists today and tomorrow.
CD Baby has been helping independent musicians get their music out since its founding in 1998. Musicians open. CD Baby and other services owned by parent company AVL Digital Group were sold to Downtown Music Holdings in 2021 for a reported $200 million. At that time, CD Baby’s then-CEO Tracy Maddux On the deal: “This deal will allow us to take our service to the independent music community to the next level.”
