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Secretly Distribution<\/a><\/strong> has acquired Babel Ops<\/strong>, the technology company behind music data and analytics platform Entertainment Intelligence<\/strong> (Ei).<\/p>\n The deal, announced on Wednesday (April 8)<\/a>, brings both companies under the ownership of the independent distributor, which says Babel Ops<\/strong> will continue to serve its existing client base of independent labels and music businesses.<\/p>\n Babel Ops was founded in 2020<\/strong> by Erik Gilbert<\/strong> and Greg Delaney<\/strong>, who previously co-founded Entertainment Intelligence (Ei) in 2014<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Ei\u2019s Enterlytics platform currently powers reporting for more than 1.2 million<\/strong> artists across more than 55,000<\/strong> labels, according to the company.<\/p>\n Babel Ops builds bespoke data management, analytics and royalty processing tools for independent music companies. Its clients include Cargo Independent Distribution<\/strong>, Concord<\/a><\/strong>, Partisan Records<\/a><\/strong>, Reservoir<\/a> Media<\/strong>, Secret City<\/strong>, MNRK<\/strong> and Exceleration<\/strong>, among others.<\/p>\n The firm is led by a team of 10<\/strong> developers under the leadership of Gilbert and Delaney, alongside General Manager Phil Birch<\/strong> and Lead Developer Ryan Berry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Two longtime Secretly database administrators, Ember Wyrdt<\/strong> and Reggie Provine<\/strong>, will join Babel Ops under the new arrangement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe independence is something you actively build and protect, not something you inherit.\u201d<\/p>\n Greg Delaney<\/strong> and Erik Gilbert, Babel Ops<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe believe independence is something you actively build and protect, not something you inherit,\u201d said Greg Delaney<\/strong> and Erik Gilbert<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cBabel Ops and Ei were created to give independent music companies the technological strength to operate, grow, and innovate on their own terms, especially as the industry consolidates.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat drew us to Secretly is a genuinely shared ethos: a belief that independence should be supported and strengthened, not absorbed into dominant systems.\u201d<\/p>\n Darius Van Arman<\/a><\/strong>, CEO of Secretly Distribution<\/strong>, framed the acquisition in the context of what he described as growing consolidation and the concentration of technology infrastructure among the industry\u2019s largest companies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe music industry is moving into a new era of market concentration and algorithmic control,\u201d said Van Arman.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, more than ever, if you want to stay independent \u2014 and help others stay independent \u2014 you must vigorously protect your ability to do business on your own terms, according to your values. It\u2019s not enough to safeguard independent routes to market; you must have access to market-leading technology that enables you to compete against the largest companies.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Secretly, we\u2019ve long admired the team behind Babel Ops and Entertainment Intelligence, and we share their commitment to providing small and medium-sized companies with world-class analytics and other tools. We are proud to have these two companies as part of the Secretly ecosystem, not only so they can support our business, but also so that they can deliver world-class work for our peers and competitors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to safeguard independent routes to market; you must have access to market-leading technology that enables you to compete against the largest companies.\u201d<\/p>\n Darius Van Arman<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe believe that the best way to secure our own independence is to support the independence of others.\u201d<\/p>\n Writing on LinkedIn<\/a> about the deal, Van Arman reiterated his stance: \u201cWith the rise of generative AI and other recent developments \u2014 such as the majors acquiring digital supply chain companies like FUGA<\/a> and Revelator, and Bill Ackman\u2019s attempt to acquire Universal Music Group<\/a> \u2014 it is clear that we are moving into a new era of market concentration and algorithmic control.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, more than ever, if you want to stay independent and help others stay independent, you must vigorously protect your ability to do business on your own terms, according to your own values.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to safeguard independent routes to market; you must have access to market-leading technology that enables you to compete against the largest companies.\u201d<\/p>\n Phil Birch<\/strong>, General Manager of Babel Ops, said in a press release: \u201cLike SD, Babel Ops is built to enable independents to challenge the mainstream.<\/p>\n \u201cIn our case, it\u2019s by creating technology tools that sets our clients on a level playing field with anyone in the industry when it comes to data management and analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n Babel Ops has maintained a long-standing development relationship with Secretly Distribution<\/strong>, including building the distributor\u2019s bespoke repertoire management system, RIOT<\/strong>, alongside SD Head of Digital Operations Kristian Downs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The company also counts Cargo Independent Distribution<\/strong> \u2014 the UK-based distribution company launched in 2024 by Cargo Records, Secretly Distribution and Beggars Group<\/a> \u2014 among its development clients.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking with the Babel Ops to build the [client] portal has been a really positive step,\u201d said Jolan Bangina<\/strong>, Head of Operations at Cargo Independent Distribution.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives our labels a far more transparent view of their physical releases through a live data feed with hourly updates, offering a level of visibility that simply hasn\u2019t been available to labels before.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson Mercer<\/strong>, VP of Platform Operations at Concord<\/strong>, said: \u201cBabel Ops have been a key partner in building, maintaining, and evolving two of our critical source-of-record systems during a time of rapid growth at Concord.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see them as an extension of our team and look forward to continuing to build great products together.\u201d<\/p>\n The acquisition comes at a time of accelerating consolidation in music\u2019s technology and distribution infrastructure.<\/p>\n Last week, Warner Music Group<\/a><\/strong> entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Revelator<\/a>, the independent music platform specializing in digital distribution, rights management and analytics.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Universal Music Group<\/strong> completed its $775 million<\/strong> acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings<\/a>, including its FUGA distribution technology subsidiary. On Tuesday (April 7), Bill Ackman<\/strong>\u2018s Pershing Square<\/strong> submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire UMG<\/a> in a deal valued at approximately $64 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Secretly Distribution\u2019s<\/strong> move to bring Babel Ops in-house represents a different approach: rather than a major label group absorbing independent infrastructure, an independent distributor is investing in technology to strengthen its own operations \u2014 and those of its competitors.<\/p>\n Secretly Distribution<\/strong> is the in-house distribution arm of the Bloomington, Indiana<\/strong>-headquartered Secretly Group<\/a><\/strong>, which also includes labels such as Jagjaguwar<\/strong>, Dead Oceans<\/strong>, Secretly Canadian,<\/strong> and the Numero Group<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Secretly Distribution has been on an expansion trajectory in recent months, launching an Asia-Pacific division<\/a> in November 2025<\/strong> and adding label partners including Jack White<\/strong>\u2018s Third Man Records<\/strong> and Hayley Williams<\/strong>\u2018 Post-Atlantic<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Van Arman, who also serves as Chairperson of Merlin<\/a><\/strong>, the digital licensing agency for independent music companies, wrote an op-ed for MBW in February<\/a> exploring the challenges posed by generative AI to independent music businesses.Music Business Worldwide<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.musicbusinessworldwide.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Secretly Distribution has acquired Babel Ops, the technology company behind music data and analytics platform Entertainment Intelligence (Ei). The deal, announced on Wednesday (April 8), brings both companies under the ownership of the independent distributor, which says Babel Ops will continue to serve its existing client base of independent labels and music businesses. 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