Artone and Drew Hill have acquired the assets of UK's Proper Music Group (PMG), including Proper Music Distribution—the UK's leading independent music distributor. The acquisition occurred after PMG entered administration on February 27, with Mark Supperstone and Ben Woodthorpe of Evelyn Partners appointed as joint administrators.

The deal includes all companies under PMG's umbrella: Proper Music Distribution, Proper Records, Proper Music Publishing, and propermusic.com. This strategic acquisition will enable clients of both PMD and Artone to access comprehensive pan-European services, including distribution, production, packaging, retail, and direct-to-consumer sales.

Jan Willem Kaaschieter, CEO at Artone, states that PMD perfectly aligns with their expansion strategy. The acquisition ensures PMD's continued success and provides stability for its partners, leveraging Artone's expertise, financial strength, and extensive network.

The agreement includes a new multi-year lease for PMD's Dartford warehouse. Under Drew Hill's leadership, who will continue as Managing Director, the company has grown to serve over 5,000 independent labels and services companies. Following this acquisition, Proper Music Group's trading companies will no longer be connected to Proper Group AG (formerly Utopia Music AG), which entered bankruptcy in September 2024.

Drew Hill, who has led Proper Music Distribution for more than 18 years, emphasized that this transition will secure the business's future while maintaining their commitment to independent artists and labels. The partnership with Artone and Bertus Distribution aims to maintain a healthy and competitive physical distribution sector.

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