EMI Picks Up Indie Music Merch Company

LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — EMI has acquired Europe's largest indie music merch distributor Loudclothes for an undisclosed sum, continuing the label's expansion into the retail music merchandise world.

The company will fall under EMI's global merchandise unit which they launched in April 2009 and has since been distributing merch for both Live Nation and AEG Live. EMI is now selling music merchandise directly to physical and online retailers around the world including over two thousand stores in North America, over a thousand in both Europe and Latin America as well as to outlets in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

EMI is acquiring Loudclothing from Completely Independent Distribution (CID) and the company's founder Nick Wastell will come aboard at EMI as their new European VP of Merchandise. Wastell will report to Peter Palmer, EMI Music's senior vice president of global merchandising.

"Expanding our merchandise capability is a key part of EMI Music's strategy of providing artists and labels with a range of services that deliver real value. Combining the great team and assets of Loudclothing.com with rights from Live Nation and AEG Live gives EMI a stellar product range and a world class, full-service retail merchandise business that delivers first rate services to consumers, retailers and our artist and business partners." said Ronn Werre global president of EMI Music Services and COO for North America & Mexico. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers