The Orchard

Independent music distributor The Orchard — a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment — has penned a new deal with Mass Appeal Records, a label co-founded by Grammy-award winner Nas in 2014, alongside Peter Bittenbender. The new partnership was announced on Wednesday (May 26). Through the venture, Mass Appeal will sign artists directly, with access to The Orchard’s suite of services, including full-service marketing, sync licensing, video services, transparent data analysis, advertising, rights management and radio, among other resources. Nas — who began his career at the Sony-owned Columbia Records — will also release new music through the partnership. Mass Appeal was previously signed into a distribution deal with Universal Music Group, which included releasing Nas...