Atlantic Canada's biggest music distributor to wind down

02.05.2008 17:01 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

The biggest music distributor in Atlantic Canada is winding down its traditional business because of declining sales.

Landwash Distribution of St. John's is recalling thousands of CDs, tapes, books, DVDs and videos from hundreds of stores across Canada and returning them to artists.

Landwash, started 13 years ago, represents more than 100 Newfoundland, Labrador and Maritime artists, including The Fables and Kevin Collins.

Landwash owner Charlotte Story said company revenues were down 35 per cent last year, and 2008 looks even worse.

"I can't get the sales up. They just keep going down and down and down, and the sales are dying. And the writing is on the wall," she told CBC News.

Story blames free digital downloads and the industry trend toward having artists distribute directly to the public.

"It was just not viable now.… We're just not getting enough artists looking for distribution on the other side of things because they can now go to digital," she said.

Story, who began the company by releasing a single CD, a volume of Newfoundland and Labrador songs called Folk of the Sea, said Landwash is not insolvent.

She expects it will take until August before all the company's physical product is returned and she figures out how much she owes to artists, she said. In the meantime, she said she plans to explore the idea of only selling music online through Landwash.

Billy Sutton of The Fables said he doesn't know where he'll find another distributor to get his CDs to other parts of the country.

"Landwash, from what I know, was the only game in town that was getting out to other places in the country," he said. "And now that doesn't exist, so I have to find other distribution."

Kevin Collins was just weeks away from distributing his CD Just Call My Name when Landwash told him the project was off.

Collins said previous distributors Tidemark and Duckworth Distribution also bailed on their artists and ceased to exist.

"Here we go again. I mean, before, the money didn't flow back, or the product in a lot of cases," he said.

Fortunately, he was able to get St. John's company Avondale Music to take on his new CD.

Landwash was distributing two of his DVDs and more than half a dozen of his albums.

"And a lot of artists in Newfoundland and Labrador I'm sure are going to feel a greater impact. It just makes things tougher and tougher all the time," Collins said.

"The independent artists in Atlantic Canada, … it's all on their shoulders, and when something like this happens, it's a major blow to them."

In February, Landwash picked up its third East Coast Music Industry Award for best music distributor in Atlantic Canada.

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