Taylor Swift, Drake and Nathaniel Rateliff are just a few of the artists on a splash image accompanying Billboard magazine’s 2018 Indie Power Players list released today.
The very next name in big, bold letters on the report which recognizes achievement at independently owned record labels, music publishers and distributors?
Jorge Brea, the 33-year-old CEO of Tampa’s very own Symphonic Distribution.
“In a volatile time for the music business,” the article said, “these executives assure the continued growth of indie music.”
ADVANCE COPY
First look into Symphonic Distribution’s new, 4,000-square-foot downtown Tampa headquarters (PHOTOS)
According to a report released by MIDiA Research last October, independently owned labels — ranging from small, artist-owned imprints to multimillion-dollar organizations like BMG, Big Machine Music Group and Concord Music Group — now claim 37 percent of the U.S. recorded-music market.
Here’s exactly what the article had to say about a company that just recently moved from Wesley Chapel to downtown Tampa while also securing $4 million in venture capital:
Founded in 2006 by Florida music producer Brea in a spare bedroom of his parents’ house, Latino-owned Symphonic is a key conduit to Spotify, Amazon and other streaming platforms for indie acts of all genres. Last November, the equity firm Ballast Point Ventures put $4 million into the Tampa, Fla.-based firm, which also offers design, audio mastering, marketing, merchandising and licensing services. “People were wondering, ‘Why are you taking money now? Is everything all right?’” says Brea. “I told them, ‘Everything’s more than all right.’ We want to invest more aggressively and hire more people.”
In a post on Facebook, Brea deflected the achievement back at the artists — many of whom are local to the Tampa Bay area — that the company works with day in and day out.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled,” he said about the achievement which puts him in the same company as executives and industry insiders who’ve worked with artists like Swift, Drake, For King & Country, David Crosby, Bebe Rexha, Queens of the Stone Age and more.
“To be apart of this amazing group is a testament to the passion and hard work of our team at Symphonic Distribution,” he said, “and none of this happens without the incredible music from our clients that were fortunate to distribute.”
This article appears in Aug 23-30, 2018.
