January 05, 2009

By By Robert Thompson, Toronto

The fallout from the financial turmoil surrounding Quebec distributor Fusion 3 continues, with Universal Music Canada announcing a deal to distribute SPV. SPV, which has acts such as Sepultura, Alice Cooper, Eric Burdon, Whitesnake, Mot?rhead, Skinny Puppy, Symphony X and Type O Negative, has entered into an exclusive distribution deal with Universal, which already distributes indie labels like Last Gang, Maple Music and others. SPV also has several sub-labels that it produces and distributes such as Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion, SPV Recordings/SPV America and progressive label InsideOut.

The label had been previously distributed by Fusion 3, Canada's largest independent distributor that filed for bankruptcy protection in Quebec in December. Jim West, the company's founder, told Billboard today that the label has extended the bankruptcy protection by an additional 30 days as it negotiates with creditors.

SPV's director of sales, Thomas Ziegler, said the deal with Universal should stabilize SPV's distribution in Canada.

"There is no need to point out that these are challenging times in the music business," Zeigler said in a statement. "We feel very confident about going with the market leader to face those challenges and to make sure to satisfy the needs of our customers."

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