(CelebrityAccess) – Vinyl-on-demand service Qrates has inked its first major label partnership with Warner Music Group’s vinyl reissues imprint, Run Out Groove.
Launched in 2017, Run Out Groove allows fans to vote on WMG’s next vinyl pressing from a selection of either unreleased material, out-of-print material, or brand-new collections.
Under the terms of the new deal, Run Out Groove’s monthly voting model will not change, however, Qrates will provide the company with manufacturing, direct-to-consumer and retail distribution solutions. Additionally, Qrates will help the company make more fan-demanded releases by embedding a widget for album discovery and purchase through Run Out Groove’s website.
“We’re proud and excited to be working with Taishi and the lovely people at Qrates who share in our independent spirit and dedication to the craft,” said Billy Fields, VP of Sales & Account Management at Warner Music Group. “While these titles didn’t win the monthly vote the first time around, we here at Run Out Groove felt they still deserved to be pressed. We are trying something new with Qrates to bring this music back out to the world – think of these releases as the ones that got away, but you got ‘em anyway.”
Taishi Fukuyama, CMO of Qrates added: “Since we’re able to press smaller production runs, Qrates is the perfect partner for the kinds of exclusive releases Run Out Groove offers to music fans. In addition to top-quality audio fidelity, we offer so many custom options for the package as a whole – over 100,000 possible variations – so each Run Out Groove release will continue to be something unique.”
The first four back-catalog titles from WMG currently available through Qrates and Run Out Groove are:
Ronnie Hawkins’ Mr. Dynamo (pressed on red vinyl), Fred Neil’s Bleecker & MacDougal, Better Than Ezra’s Friction, Baby, (pressed on clear vinyl) and The Incredible String Band’s The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter (pressed on solid blue, white and black).
