Proper Music Group, the largest independent distributor in the UK, has inked a deal with RSK Entertainment to cover fulfilment for the UK and Republic of Ireland as well as the coordination of its international logistics.

Stepping in against the backdrop of a fast-evolving logistics landscape and, specifically, changes at Sony DADC’s Enfield distribution centre, Proper will pick, pack and ship stock throughout the British Isles while also acting as a logistics hub for RSK’s third party relationships, delivering physical music globally.

Already representing 10% of the UK’s physical market, this latest deal will add 11,000 lines of product to Proper’s inventory — bringing the total distributed to over 100,000 — including many of RSK’s renowned classical label clients such as Alpha Classics, Channel Classics, Delphian Records, Brilliant Classics, Pentatone, Linn Records and Supraphon, as well as its prestigious rock label clients such as Cleopatra Records, Repertoire Records and SideOneDummy Records.

The deal will also be a boon for RSK’s retail customers as many already order stock from Proper, reducing the number of requests they need to make and streamlining the back office for both RSK and Proper.

Forthcoming key releases for RSK include the return of the Pavel Haas Quartet with Shostakovich String Quartets 2, 7& 8, Vladimir Jurowski conducting the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov” for a recording of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Iván Fischer conducting the Budapest Festival Orchestra for Beethoven’s 1st and 5th Symphonies, as well as a brand new IQ album, a Big Big Train Blu-ray DVD, Miles Davis ‘The Lost Quintet’ and 180g collector vinyl from The Pretty Things.

Commenting on the new deal with RSK, MD of Proper Music Group Drew Hill said

‘It’s great to be working with Simon and Rashmi and RSK’s whole network of like-minded music lovers. This deal will be to the benefit of both our companies and partners, retailers, and — most importantly — fans.’

‘Joining Proper’s wider distribution fold for pick, pack and ship feels like a very natural move for RSK at this juncture, with all of the recent changes to the landscape and the need for ever consolidated supply’, added Joint Managing Director of RSK Simon Carver. ‘The physical market continues to be a good one and there is a synergy between our companies which will work well for a very positive future together.’

Also commenting on the deal, Rashmi Patani, Joint Managing Director at RSK, said

‘Drew and his team have an ethos that is very similar to our own and it is good to have at last concluded a long term courtship that will prove effective for our labels in joining a forward thinking and committed pipeline to market.’