SUNRISE, Fla., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Alliance Entertainment, LLC (www.aent.com) has acquired Audiolife (www.audiolife.com), the music industry’s leading direct-to-fan fulfillment company, it was announced today by Mike Davis, President of Alliance. Alliance Entertainment is the top distributor of home entertainment (audio and video) software in the U.S., the fourth-largest music account (according to a just-published Billboard Magazine survey), and an accomplished distribution channel for apparel, hardware and accessories. The acquisition adds significant direct-to-fan fulfillment capability to Alliance’s broad customer service portfolio, and follows its recent distribution partnership with CD Baby, which brings an immense new inventory of titles to the company.

In barely three years, Audiolife has served over 300,000+ clients, with a diverse roster that includes top-name music artists such as Paul McCartney, Beastie Boys, Trent Reznor, Eminem, Leann Rimes and Carol King/James Taylor; leading companies and licensed product lines such as Topspin, ReverbNation and LMFAO’s Party Rock clothing; as well as boutique artists and non-media merchandisers.

On a daily basis, Alliance Entertainment manages an industry-leading 200,000 unique audio SKUs, including the largest vinyl assortment in the U.S., so the new division will have the ability to handle the kid-glove nature of high-end D2C packages as well as the inclusion of artists’ complete catalogs. This same scope holds true for retail. The relationships can be artist-to-fan only, or artist to the tremendous reach of Alliance’s e-commerce and brick & mortar retail base, which totals over 4,000 accounts and 14,000 door fronts.

“Audiolife will be an ideal complement to Alliance’s expanding business model as we seek to diversify and deepen the range of services and products we offer our customers,” said Mr. Davis. “Since launching in 2009, Audiolife has made its mark in the exploding e-commerce marketplace thanks to superlative direct-to-consumer technology, and a savvy understanding for what artists need and fans desire. They’ve applied the highest standards to all the services they deliver, from front-end technology to back-end fulfillment, and we’re thrilled they’ve joined the Alliance team.”

“This is a huge day for all members of the Audiolife family, from our in-house staff and investors to the artists and other business partners we serve,” said Brandon Hance, CEO and co-founder of Audiolife. “Our affiliation with Alliance Entertainment will allow Audiolife to significantly increase its resources, logistical capacity and distribution reach – and ultimately re-define direct-to-fan fulfillment and retail distribution for the industry-at-large.”

As part of the acquisition plan, Audiolife’s founders and management team will continue to operate out of its Los Angeles, CA base, while its fulfillment operations will be moved to Alliance’s state-of-the-art Shepherdsville, KY facility.

According to Ian Rogers, CEO of Topspin (www.topspinmedia.com), one of Audiolife’s major clients, “This is a tremendous step towards bringing world-class fulfillment to the direct-to-fan world. Now artists using Topspin’s customized marketing and commerce platform will continue to get the benefits of a boutique fulfillment solution along with Alliance’s operational sophistication and their vast retail distribution network. It’s a win-win for our clients, putting artist-created products in front of millions more potential customers worldwide.”

About Alliance

Alliance Entertainment offers an extensive product inventory (including CDs, DVDs, videos, video games and related merchandise), e-commerce fulfillment capabilities and innovative technology and support services for today’s marketplace, including third party logistics services. Founded in 1990 in Coral Springs, Florida, Alliance Entertainment built its business as a one-stop and distribution source for music retailers. Its continually expanding array of products and services have won awards and accolades from Forbes, Yahoo! Internet Life, Microsoft, The Blues Foundation, and music industry trade groups Midem and The National Association of Recording Merchandisers. The complementary offerings of its two operating units—The Distribution & Fulfillment Services Group and the Information Services Group—deliver a full range of commerce solutions, from distribution and fulfillment to infrastructure, for brick-and-mortar and Web-based retailers.

For more information, please contact: Nina Stern, Nina Stern Public Relations, nstern@nsternpr.com

SOURCE Alliance Entertainment, LLC