Secretly Group and Merge Records have announced a new partnership, with Secretly’s co-founders – Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman and Phil Waldorf – taking a 50% stake in Merge.
Durham, North Carolina-headquartered Merge will continue to operate as a standalone label, but will make use of Secretly’s ecosystem, including accounting, artist royalties, business affairs, licensing, IT and HR.
It will also make use of Secretly sister company Secretly Distribution’s worldwide distribution arm, with which Merge Records has had an existing relationship for over a decade.
“Our aim is to support Merge with the independent ecosystem we’ve built at Secretly, while preserving what’s truly special about what [Merge Co-Founders] Mac [McCaughan] and Laura [Ballance] have built over the past 36 years, such that we can support Merge’s growth in the decades to come,” Secretly Co-Founder Ben Swanson said.
McCaughan will continue in his role as Label President and Head of A&R, while Ballance will be leaving the company and the music industry.
Longtime Merge Label Director Christina Rentz, Marketing Director Jamie Beck and Head of Digital Wilson Fuller will all continue in their roles.
“Our aim is to support Merge with the independent ecosystem we’ve built at Secretly, while preserving what’s truly special about what [Merge Co-Founders] Mac and Laura have built over the past 36 years.”
Ben Swanson, Secretly Group
The tie-up between the two companies was apparently spurred by Ballance’s decision to exit the music industry.
“When we heard that Laura was looking to move on from Merge, we immediately engaged in conversations with Mac and Laura about what a new partnership with Secretly could look like,” Secretly Co-Founder Phil Waldorf said.
“We looked up to Merge as we started our labels. We are not just fans of the music they’ve released, but their independent ethos and commitment to being an artist-first company.”
He added: “Becoming a partner in Merge is beyond a dream for me – I saw Superchunk for the first time when I was a teenager, before I even knew you could have a full-time job in independent music, and attended Merge’s 5th Anniversary celebration at the Cat’s Cradle while I was a college student in Athens, GA, making this a real ‘pinch me’ moment three decades later.”
Ballance and McCaughan launched Merge Records in 1989 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at about the same time they launched their band Superchunk. Since then, the label has built a catalog that includes Neutral Milk Hotel, Lambchop, The Magnetic Fields, The Clean, and Waxahatchee.
It has also released albums from the likes of Caribou, Fruit Bats and Destroyer, and introduced the world to M(h)aol, Friendship and Case Oats.
“It was never my goal to start a record label when I was 21 and run it for the rest of my life. I have been doing this for 36 years now. Life is short.”
Laura Ballance, Merge Records
“It was never my goal to start a record label when I was 21 and run it for the rest of my life. I have been doing this for 36 years now. Life is short,” Ballance said of her decision to exit the music business.
“There are other things I have always wanted to do: make more art, travel for fun, volunteer more, write a book and lots of other things that being so entrenched in running a business does not allow me to do. Merge Records started as a literal bedroom label, in my bedroom, and lived there for a few years before we were able to give it some space of its own. It has always been a labor of love. I am going to miss it and all the people and bands tremendously.”
Ballance and McCaughan’s band Superchunk continues to work to this day, and its forthcoming album, Songs in the Key of Yikes, set for an August release, will be the first new album to be distributed worldwide under the new partnership.
“We looked up to Merge as we started our labels. We are not just fans of the music they’ve released, but their independent ethos and commitment to being an artist-first company.”
Phil Waldorf, Secretly Group
“I have known many of the people in the Secretly world for decades, and I know that they share Merge’s dedication to artists and getting their music into the hands of as many people as possible,” McCaughan said.
“We have seen this in action working with Secretly Distribution’s international team since 2012, and are excited about what the future looks like with the strength and experience of Secretly Distribution working for Merge artists around the world, and now here at home. I know Laura has her own exciting future ahead, and I am excited to continue and expand upon the label we’ve run for 36 years.”
Originally founded in 1996 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, Secretly Group runs a number of labels including Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records and Secretly Canadian. It is also home to Ghostly International.
Secretly Distribution has been operating for more than 25 years, and its partners include Rhymesayers, Captured Tracks, A24 Music, Chrysalis, Sacred Bones, Touch & Go, Moshi Moshi, Bayonet, DFA, Run For Cover, Big Crown, Colemine, Nyege Nyege Tapes, Jazz Is Dead, Oh Boy Records, ZZK, and Secretly-affiliated labels Dead Oceans, drink sum wtr, Ghostly International, Jagjaguwar, Secretly Canadian and the Numero Group.Music Business Worldwide
