In a fourth-floor office that pretty much shares an address with the historic Tampa Theatre, Symphonic Distribution’s more than 20 employees sit primed for what they hope is a turn at driving the future of the music industry. The 12-year-old company relocated from Wesley Chapel to downtown Tampa late last year, and marketing director Janette Berrios expects the company’s new, 4,000-square-foot headquarters to eventually be home base to more than 30 web developers, designers, videographers, interns, customer support reps and sales and marketing staff who’ll work in tandem with other Symphonic team members operating out of Madrid, New York City, Denver, Los Angeles, the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
NEW MUSIC CAPITAL
Here’s what Tampa’s Symphonic Distribution plans to do with its $4M investment from BPV
In December, Ballast Point Ventures invested $4 million in the company. That influx of capital allows Symphonic to add to its staff, increase marketing efforts and enhance the capabilities of its products. A new CFO, Taylor Garland, will use his experience as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley and an associate at NYC private equity firm AEA Investors to help Symphonic and its artists find a new level of efficiency and effectiveness.
On the ground in Tampa, Symphonic helps artists — including a number of Bay area locals like Dynasty, Infinite Third, Jinx and Joshua Cruz — navigate the many, mind-bending aspects of releasing music online. Symphonic works with partners such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Pandora, but its sphere of influence extends into nearly every aspect of music distribution that requires a power outlet and an internet connection. On April 20, the company will open its doors for a grand opening celebration where musicians, or anyone interested in the businesses or growth of Tampa, can check out the digs Symphonic has been working on since first moving in 10 months ago.
“Throughout our growth we’ve been committed to the artist community by launching exciting products and solutions aimed at helping artists focus on what matters most — their art,” Symphonic founder and CEO Jorge Brea said. “Another constant has been being a part of the Tampa community.”
A trio of CL favorites — Tampa producer Fr33dback, emcee Mike Mass and songwriter JT Brown — will provide the tunes, and fans of Bay area art will be happy to see the mark of globally renowned local muralist Ales “Bask” Hostomsky all over Symphonic’s walls.
The company let CL poke around on a cloudy afternoon, and we’re happy to share a first look into Symphonic’s new downtown headquarters; see the photos below, and get more information on the free grand opening below and at local.cltampa.com.
