CD Baby, Downtown Music’s artist-direct distribution platform, launched a new program aimed at giving independent musicians marketing and financial support.
The new program called Stages Selects will support 10 artists through 2026 with a package that includes priority distribution, targeted DSP marketing, paid digital campaign support, and strategic guidance around release planning and rollout.
Stages Selects will prioritize diversity across genre, geography and generation, according to CD Baby. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the support packages offered to selected artists or how artists can apply.
The launch follows a transitional moment for Downtown Music, CD Baby’s parent company.
Virgin Music Group, a unit of Universal Music Group, completed its acquisition of Downtown earlier this year.
The deal brought CD Baby, which Downtown acquired in 2019, under the UMG umbrella, giving the platform a wider reach.
The new program launched alongside Morgan Nagler‘s debut solo album, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It, which came out on March 13.
Molly Neuman, president of CD Baby, said: “Morgan Nagler’s debut album is a testament to the power and passion of human creativity in this complicated time.”
“CD Baby has always stood for artistry and providing direct access for the musicians we work with. We could not be more proud to kick off with Morgan Nagler and her team at Little Operation Records.”
Molly Neuman, CD Baby
Added Neuman: “The purity of her voice, musicianship and songwriting make this album the perfect way for us to launch Stages Selects. CD Baby has always stood for artistry and providing direct access for the musicians we work with. We could not be more proud to kick off with Morgan Nagler and her team at Little Operation Records.”
Christian Stavros, founder of Little Operation, said: “Working with CD Baby on Morgan’s debut album has already been a tremendous partnership as we’ve released three singles together over the course of the past year.
“We’re excited to see what we can build as we continue our collaboration and as Morgan continues to inspire us with her art.”
“Working with CD Baby on Morgan’s debut album has already been a tremendous partnership as we’ve released three singles together over the course of the past year.”
Christian Stavros, Little Operation Records
During UMG’s earnings call in March, Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge described the company’s acquisition of Downtown as “transformational.”
“It creates a scalable and profitable engine of growth that also elevates UMG’s core label, publishing, and superfan businesses, enabling us to better cover the entire music industry.”
For CD Baby, Stages Selects marks its latest offering to self-releasing artists after launching CDB Boost in late 2023 to support independent songwriters in royalty collection and sync opportunities.
Music Business Worldwide