Sony Music Entertainment and former Empire A&R/marketing entrepreneur Jonathan Master are partnering in a new joint venture, SamePlate. Master will head the New York-based imprint whose staff includes vp, operations Alex Ciccimarro.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with all the great people at Sony Music on this new label,” said Master in a statement. “SamePlate’s mission is to work in true partnership with artists to help them nurture their brands, not just chase records. Artists need to be competitive and relevant all the time, not just in traditional release cycles. We are committed to helping them share their stories with fans every day through any medium, including music, videos and social content.”
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Under terms of the new partnership, distribution will be handled by The Orchard globally, including the U.S., and RCA will have the option to joint venture on select releases. SamePlate issued its first release by Ro Ransom, Floetry, on April 27. “Wraith,” the rapper’s next single, arrives June 8. Rounding out SamePlate’s hip-hop focused roster are YGTUT, TOBi, Eza, Shari Marie, ROMderful and Ducko McFli.
In the release announcing the SME/SamePlate alliance, RCA chairman/CEO Peter Edge said, “Jonathan Master is a forward-thinking entrepreneur, talent developer and marketer with a strong vision for building artist careers. I look forward to SamePlate making exciting new contributions to music culture and creating opportunities for collaboration with RCA.”
Added The Orchard CEO Brad Navin, “The Orchard is excited to serve as the global distribution solution for SamePlate. We share Jonathan Master’s passion for providing the best possible value and service to artists. We are eager to collaborate with him and his talented team to help grow the reach and awareness of SamePlate artists around the world.”
Master spent the last four years overseeing the New York A&R and marketing operations for the independent distribution/artist services company Empire. While there, Master was involved in various signings and label distribution deals with artists including D.R.A.M., Cam’Ron, PJ Morton and George Clinton. For more than a decade under his SamePlate banner, Master has also worked in artist management, events and content creation as well as partnering with various labels on digital, traditional and lifestyle marketing campaigns for artists including Logic, G-Eazy, H.E.R. and Joey Badass. He also manages Grammy-nominated producer !llmind (Drake, J. Cole, Kanye West).
Prior to joining SamePlate, Ciccimarro held digital marketing posts at Republic and Atlantic. He worked on releases from Cardi B and Gucci Mane plus the soundtrack to Hamilton: The Broadway Musical, among other projects.