Fontana Partners With SonicStar

Fontana Partners With SonicStar

LOS ANGELES, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Fontana, the independent distribution arm of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has signed an exclusive distribution deal with SonicStar Records, it was announced today by Ron Spaulding, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Fontana, and Scooter Ward and Toby McDonald, founders of SonicStar.

"Scooter and Toby are the kind of multi-talented, progressive entrepreneurs that we want to be in business with," stated Spaulding. "And we're thrilled to support their vision and help them take SonicStar to the next level."

"We at SonicStar are proud to wear the Fontana badge," added Ward. "And we believe that we've made the right choice in the steps to succeed in the world of music."

SonicStar Records is the newly formed independent entertainment company by principals Ward and McDonald. Ward is the lead singer for the band Cold, whose debut album was released in 1998 and deemed "nu-metal." The band has gone on to amass a huge underground following for its brand of emotionally driven, alternative rock. Cold's next two albums, 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage and Year of the Spider both went gold. Their 4th album also won acclaim, spawning the hit single, "A Different Kind of Pain." Cold has sold over 1.5 million albums worldwide. When the band went on hiatus in 2006, Ward formed The Killer and The Star, teaming with music industry friends to establish his own record label, SonicStar, which will release the band's first album this summer.

The debut album from The Killer and The Star will be released in June of this year. The band will tour the US this summer with Cold. Other upcoming releases from SonicStar will be a number of new offerings from Cold including a new studio album, a B-sides and Rarities album and a long form DVD.

ABOUT FONTANA

Fontana Distribution, the independent arm of UMGD, provides unparalleled sales and marketing support, as well as back office services, for a diverse roster of labels and their artists. Fontana distributes more than 100 labels including American Gramophone, Delicious Vinyl, Downtown, Eagle Rock Entertainment, Federal, Ipecac, Last Gang, Ministry of Sound, Modular, MySpace Records, Nitro, Six Degrees, SMC, Strange Music, Trustkill, Vagrant Records, VH1 Classic Records and VP Records, among many others. In addition, Fontana distributes select projects from UMG labels worldwide.

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Source: Universal Music Group

CONTACT: Peter LoFrumento or Maria Ho-Burge, maria.ho-burge@umusic.com,
both of Universal Music Group, +1-212-331-2569

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Profile: International Entertainment