22 MusicWeek 17.01.14 PROFILE ABSOLUTE MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION ABSOLUTE CONVICTION
It’s been 15 years since Absolute became one of the first companies in the industry to offer a ‘services’ setup to indie labels. And as the firm explains to Music Week, it believes that its experience and success with a diverse range of projects make it attractively unique
SERVICES n BY TIM INGHAM
I
t was certainly a busy Christmas period for Absolute Marketing & Distribution. The firm’s impressive run of end-of-year
success began with the return of McFly to the Top 10 of the UK’s Official Singles Chart. Piggybacking on the hysteria surrounding the announcement of ‘supergroup’ McBusted, the company issued Love Is On The Radio via the band’s own label, directing a predominantly digital marketing campaign that helped propel the track to No.6 and draw more than a million YouTube views in just three weeks. Then, just days after the New Year fireworks had
ceased exploding over the Thames, it celebrated two of its artists achieving simultaneous Top 20 singles – urban act Fuse ODG and drum & bass stalwarts Matrix & Futurebound. The diversity of all three acts goes to show
one of the founding principles of Absolute, which offers services such as promo, marketing, PR, neighbouring rights and royalty administration on top of the essentials of sales marketing and distribution: it isn’t bothered how achingly hip you are – it leaves that to the A&R departments of the UK’s leading labels. It’s more interested in ensuring its clients use their funds wisely and make money. This focus on profitability has combined with
some impressive direct-to-fan work to yield massive results in recent times. Take, for example, Matt Cardle. The former X Factor winner looked on a bit of a downer when he parted ways with Columbia in 2012 – but Absolute knew better. In tandem with manager Will Talbot – and via Cardle’s own label – the company laser-targeted the singer/songwriter’s remaining sizeable fanbase, securing his third album a chart placing at No.11 (Porcelain). On the promotional side, the firm’s sustained
belief in Cardle’s enduring appeal paid dividends – with a string of Radio 2 A-list additions. When helping Cardle make his post-major comeback, Absolute drilled down into making each fan feel special enough to part with their cash. It sold 500 vinyl units of one of Cardle’s albums
in 24 hours alone – each copy signed by the artist, numbered and with the fans’ name on the back. Maximising an artist’s potential in this way, of
course, is impossible without the ability to concentrate. Absolute is proud of its slim release schedule for this reason – allowing it to hone a campaign and continue to push an artist long after their record’s impact date. “So long as we understand the market space
we’re trying to aim at, we can work your project,” explains Absolute MD Henry Semmence. “What we won’t do is have 50 releases in a month to get big numbers on the wall. We want to bring something valuable to each of our projects.
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Absolute-ly in charge: MD Henry Semmence (left) and director Simon Wills
“Everything we do for our clients, whether that’s marketing spend or advising on a manufacturing or product plan, has to be meticulous” SIMON WILLS, ABSOLUTE
“I understand why the majors and the bigger
labels grab lots of things as they come through, but that’s not our model. Not all so-called label services businesses can offer a full range. We do everything from dry boring registrations to massive TV campaigns and everything in-between. And we do it without putting your project in a sausage machine of release after release after release.” Clients of Absolute’s in recent times have
ranged from legends in all kinds of genres from rock (Deep Purple) to pop (George Michael), folk ( John Martyn) and even light entertainment legends (Shirley Bassey). However, the calibre of a given artist is strangely
unimportant to Absolute, as is the scale of their chart potential: both are secondary considerations compared to an act’s ability and willingness to
honour their side of a campaign which will bring a monetary return to all sides. Most deals see artists sign a straight percentage
deal for sales and distribution – much more competitive than the major labels’ equivalent, says Semmence. Then, should they wish to add services to the agreement, these are paid for on a fee basis. Some established acts with bazillions in the
bank can afford to do so upfront, while for those artists who can’t pay without selling some records, cashflow agreements are a possibility – with the bill recouped via record sales. Absolute’s flexibility with its model has allowed
it to help build careers for emerging artists such as James Vincent McMorrow and Crystal Fighters, whose latest album was recently shortlisted for Zane Lowe’s LP of the year. Crucially, every deal setup results in the artists owning 100% of their masters copyrights, something which Semmence says ensures he sleeps well at night. “We have a fiscal and moral responsibility to our
clients,” explains Semmence. “This model means we really are in it together, a proper partnership with both sides benefitting from fighting towards the same goal.” In its quest to maximize the value of every
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