Alliance Entertainment’s AMPED Distribution Celebrates 20 Award Nominations at the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Awards

PLANTATION, Fla., Aug. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: AENT) (“Alliance Entertainment”, “Company”), a distributor and wholesaler of the world’s largest in stock selection of music, movies, video games, electronics, arcades, and collectibles, today announced that its independent distribution arm AMPED Distribution, a leading force in the bluegrass music industry with an exceptional roster of artists and labels, has received a remarkable 20 nominations at the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Awards. These nominations stand as a testament to the extraordinary talent and unwavering dedication within the genre, further solidifying AMPED Distribution's commitment to supporting and promoting the very best in bluegrass music.

Among the notable nominees are the legendary Sam Bush, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, who have been recognized in the prestigious category of Entertainer of the Year. Additionally, several outstanding albums and instrumental recordings from AMPED artists have garnered well-deserved nominations.

AMPED is celebrating two nominations for the illustrious category of Album of the Year include "Lovin’ of the Game" by Michael Cleveland (artist); Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan (producers); and released under Compass Records (label), as well as "Radio John: The Songs of John Hartford" by Sam Bush (artist); produced by Sam Bush; and released under Smithsonian Folkways (label).

AMPED Distribution's roster of instrumentalists have also left a lasting impression with their exceptional work. Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, one of the label's esteemed acts, received a nomination for Instrumental Group of the Year. In the category of Instrumental Recording of the Year, three remarkable works have been recognized: "Contact" by Michael Cleveland with Cody Kilby, Barry Bales, and Béla Fleck (artists); Michael Cleveland (writer); Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan (producer); and released under Compass Records (label), "Foggy Morning Breaking" by Alison Brown with Steve Martin (artists); written by Alison Brown and Steve Martin; produced by Alison Brown and Garry West; and released under Compass Records (label), and "Scorchin’ the Gravy" by Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen (artists); written and produced by Frank Solivan; and released under Compass Records (label).

Additional artists from the AMPED roster of artists acknowledged by the awards are nominated for Collaborative Recording of the Year are "Alberta Bound" by Special Consensus with Ray Legere, John Reischman, Tisha Gagnon, Claire Lynch, Pharis & Jason Romero (artists); written by Gordon Lightfoot; produced by Alison Brown; and released under Compass Records (label), "From My Mountain (Calling You)" by Peter Rowan with Molly Tuttle and Lindsay Lou (artists); written and produced by Peter Rowan; and released under Rebel Records (label), and "For Your Love" by Michael Cleveland with Billy Strings and Jeff White (artists); written by Joe Ely; produced by Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan; and released under Compass Records (label).

Larry Sparks, an exceptional artist under the AMPED Distribution umbrella from Southern Sounds via Rebel Records, has received two nominations: one for Gospel Recording of the Year with "The Scarlet Red Lines" and another for Male Vocalist of the Year.

Individual instrumentalists from the label have also been recognized for their immense talent, including Alison Brown for Banjo, Michael Cleveland for Fiddle, Vickie Vaughn (High Fidelity) for Bass Player of the Year, Rob Ickes for Resophonic Guitar, and Sam Bush for Mandolin.

The entire team at AMPED Distribution extends heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees. These nominations are a testament to these musicians’ brilliant artistry and unwavering dedication to bluegrass music, and we are proud to support their artistic endeavors.

“It’s a privilege for AMPED to distribute these iconic Bluegrass labels (Compass Records, Rebel Records and Smithsonian Folkways), and it’s a special joy personally to listen to these artists. Our commitment at AMPED has always been to get this incredible music into the homes of the consumers who enjoy it as much as I do”, said Pip Smith, GM/VP of Sales, AMPED Distribution.

The winners of the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Awards will be announced at a special ceremony on September 28, 2023 at the Martin Mariette Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC.

For more information on the 34^th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and the complete list of nominees, please visit the official Bluegrass Today website.

About AMPED Distribution 

AMPED is one of the fastest growing, top-tier independent distributors committed to developing and growing independent artists and labels worldwide. A part of Alliance Entertainment, AMPED gives the indie community access to a global distribution system with the largest sales force, a seasoned and skilled staff that provides a suite of services and data second to none. AMPED’s customer base is the largest in the industry directly servicing brick and click retailers large and small along with (DTC) direct consumers. AMPED’s growing roster of labels include labels such as Believe Digital, Better Noise, Big Loud, By Norse, Cleopatra Records, Compass Records, Compound Interest, Earache, Empire, Epitaph Records, Firebird Records, Flatiron, Fuga, GoodToGo, Herp Alpert Presents, Hopeless Records, Iconic Artist Group, IDLA, Integral (PIAS, Harmonia Mundi), Kai Media, Kartel, Lex Records, Mascot, Merge Records, MNRK (eOne, Dualtone), Nettwerk Music Group, Nuclear Blast, Polyvinyl, Proper Music Group, Rebel Records, Reservoir Media (Chrysalis, Tommy Boy), Ruf Records, Secretly Music Group, Shanachie, Smithsonian Folkways, Sub Pop, Tuff Gong, Warner Classics and more. 

About Alliance Entertainment

Alliance Entertainment is a premier distributor of music, movies, and consumer electronics. We offer over 425,000 unique in stock SKU’s, including over 57,300 exclusive compact discs, vinyl LP records, DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games. Complementing our vast media catalog, we also stock a full array of related accessories, toys and collectibles. With more than thirty-five years of distribution experience, Alliance Entertainment serves customers of every size, providing a robust suite of services to resellers and retailers worldwide. Our efficient processing and essential seller tools noticeably reduce the costs associated with administrating multiple vendor relationships, while helping omni-channel retailers expand their product selection and fulfillment goals. For more information, visit www.aent.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this Press Release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether identified in this Press Release, and on the current expectations of Alliance’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Alliance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks relating to the anticipated growth rates and market opportunities; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of Alliance to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its systems and related services; Alliance’s reliance on a concentration of suppliers for its products and services; increases in Alliance’s costs, disruption of supply, or shortage of products and materials; Alliance’s dependence on a concentration of customers, and failure to add new customers or expand sales to Alliance’s existing customers; increased Alliance inventory and risk of obsolescence; Alliance’s significant amount of indebtedness; Our ability to continue as a going concern absent access to sources of liquidity; risks and failure by Alliance to meet the covenant requirements of its revolving credit facility, including a fixed charge coverage ratio; risks that a breach of the revolving credit facility, including Alliance’s recent breach of the covenant requirements, could result in the lender declaring a default and that the full outstanding amount under the revolving credit facility could be immediately due in full, which would have severe adverse consequences for the Company; known or future litigation and regulatory enforcement risks, including the diversion of time and attention and the additional costs and demands on Alliance’s resources; Alliance’s business being adversely affected by increased inflation, higher interest rates and other adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; risk that the COVID-19 pandemic, and local, state, and federal responses to addressing the pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business operations, as well as our financial condition and results of operations; substantial regulations, which are evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by Alliance to comply with these regulations; product liability claims, which could harm Alliance’s financial condition and liquidity if Alliance is not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims; availability of additional capital to support business growth; and the inability of Alliance to develop and maintain effective internal controls.

For investor inquiries, please contact:
MZ Group
Chris Tyson/Larry Holub
(949) 491-8235
AENT@mzgroup.us

AMPED Press Contact:
Jocelynn Pryor
Marketing@AMPEDDistribution.com