Downtown-owned B2B music distributor FUGA has signed a global partnership with Arketyp Group, the newly-formed indie label group founded by YEAR0001 co-founder Oskar Ekman.

Under the deal, FUGA will provide digital and physical distribution, strategic marketing support and access to Downtown’s sync services to Arketyp’s roster of artist and label clients.

Ekman launched Stockholm-headquartered Arketyp earlier this year as a creative, marketing and back-office services hub for indie labels and artists. The company operates a group of record labels and also includes a management business, a publishing business and a record store located in central Stockholm.

YEAR0001 was the first label to join Arketyp. Founded by Ekman and Emilio Fagone, the label administers the back catalog of Yung Lean, Bladee, Drain Gang, and Viagra Boys, as well as a roster of new artists.

YEAR0001 has been a FUGA client since 2022, when it contracted with the company for global distribution and marketing services. The same year, it entered into an international neighboring rights deal with Downtown Neighbouring Rights. That partnership laid the foundation for the new relationship between FUGA and Arketyp, FUGA said in a statement on Wednesday (July 9).

“Working with Oskar and YEAR0001 has always been about championing creativity without compromise,” said Liz Northeast, Senior Vice President, EMEA at FUGA.

“Arketyp takes that vision even further and we’re proud to be a partner in this next chapter and look forward to helping Arketyp’s artists connect with audiences around the world.”

Arketyp’s first release was the fourth studio album from Swedish punk band Viagra Boys, Viagr Aboys, released on April 25 under the band’s own label, Shrimptech Enterprises. The album has proven to be the band’s most successful to date, landing the band’s first placement on the Billboard 200 and peaking at No. 27 on the Independent Albums chart, No. 2 on the Indies Store Album Sales chart and No. 5 on the Current Rock Albums chart.

“Working with Oskar and YEAR0001 has always been about championing creativity without compromise.”

Liz Northeast, FUGA

Outside the US, the album debuted at No. 7 in Sweden, No. 15 in Germany, and No. 44 in the UK, and overall delivered the band’s highest first-week sales thus far. They’ve sold more than 100,000 tickets to this year’s Infinite Anxiety tour.

Arketyp’s roster also includes Swedish-American indie band Miike Snow, known for hit tracks from the late 2000s onward, who have clocked over 500 million streams worldwide. The band has a new album scheduled for release later this year, their first in nine years, under their newly-formed imprint Plastic Jungle. The imprint will also reissue Miike Snow’s classic first two albums.

“After 10 years of building YEAR0001, bringing left-of-centre Swedish artists to global audiences, it’s time to scale. Arketyp taps into the expertise of YEAR0001’s team and boutique creative and global marketing services which are bespoke for each artist and serves innovative talent and independent labels,” Ekman said.

“YEAR0001 has always been fiercely independent and autonomous, so is Arketyp – which is why the partner of choice was always FUGA – a company who helps partners develop their businesses – and marks a natural continuation of the work we’ve been doing hand in hand with them over the last three years.”

The deal with Arketyp is the latest in a series of new partnerships for FUGA over the past year, including a deal last fall with Los Angeles-headquartered Mind of a Genius Records; a deal with Paris-headquartered Record Makers; and another with Belgium’s Potion Records.

“After 10 years of building YEAR0001, bringing left-of-centre Swedish artists to global audiences, it’s time to scale.”

Oskar Ekman, Arketyp Group

In the UK, it signed deals with record label/creative agency/management firm One House, drum and bass label Critical Music, and Berry’s Room, the imprint of afrobeats star Maleek Berry.

The company has been busy expanding in South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, signing a strategic partnership with Manila-based management and production company ASINTADA last fall. It has also signed deals with Indonesian labels Maspam Company and Sintesa Pro, as well as Indian label GK Digital. 

Last month, FUGA announced its first step into the direct-to-consumer music retail market, partnering with fan app Single to bring its artist and label clients’ music and merch to Shopify storefronts.Music Business Worldwide