Ron Spaulding Promoted to President of Fontana

Ron Spaulding Promoted to President of Fontana

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), the award-winning sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has promoted Ron Spaulding to President of Fontana, UMGD's independent distribution arm. The announcement was made today by Jim Urie, President and Chief Executive Officer of UMGD, to whom Spaulding reports. Formerly, Mr. Spaulding served as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Fontana.

"Since joining us, Ron has brought extensive retail contacts and a wealth of credibility within the artistic community which the Fontana Team has translated into a great success story," stated Mr. Urie. "In the past year alone, Fontana has had enormous accomplishments on both the indie and the Top 200 charts and has up-streamed numerous artists to our labels. Moreover, over the last year, Ron has overseen the restructuring of Fontana into a digital player second to none in the world of music distribution. His sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm has energized all of us that have the pleasure to work with him every day. We are delighted to expand the playing field even more with this well-deserved promotion."

"Being a part of Fontana has been one of the most personally rewarding and professionally fulfilling experiences of my career," added Mr. Spaulding. "I cannot thank Jim enough for his generous support and confidence; and working closely with the entire Fontana team continues to be a constant source of inspiration since they are second to none. We have built a vibrant and musically diverse company, with a spirited and competitive staff. I am looking forward to building further upon that winning energy; we are only just beginning to realize the possibilities of what we can accomplish."

Prior to joining Fontana, Mr. Spaulding served as Executive Vice President/General Manager of Asylum and EastWest Records, overseeing the day-to-day operations of both labels. He also served as the Senior Vice President of Sales at WEA, Warner Music Group's distribution arm. His background also includes serving as Senior Vice President of Sales at Elektra Entertainment Group and in a number of senior positions at Priority Records.

About Fontana

Fontana Distribution, the independent arm of Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), provides unparalleled sales and marketing support, as well as back office and label services, for a diverse roster of labels and their artists. Fontana distributes more than 100 labels including Downtown Music, Savoy, Vagrant Records, Eagle Rock, VP Records, American Gramaphone, Six Degrees, Last Gang Records, SMC, Delicious Vinyl, ESL, Kedar Entertainment, Ministry of Sound, Ipecac, Strange Music, Music World, VH1 Classic Records, MySpace Records and many others. In addition, Fontana distributes select projects from Universal Music Group labels worldwide.

Source: Universal Music Group

CONTACT: Peter Lofrumento, or Maria Ho-Burge, maria.ho-burge@umusic.com,
both of Universal Music Group, +1-212-331-2569

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