Altavoz


Altavoz is a music distributor whose catalog is composed of independent entertainers covering a variety of musical genres. A year after it was founded, it was purchased by investor Nelson Jacobsen, and relaunched in Rockville, Maryland.

History

Jacobsen established Altavoz.com which was one of the first fifty thousand domains on the internet. The website offered downloads of digital sound files and fifteen second introductions to music streams.
This business innovation helped them achieve substantial distribution vehicles. By 1999, Altavoz had rolled out merchandise in big box stores like Best Buy and independent retailers nationwide. Their offerings had expanded to vinyl records, books and more. By the time of the dot-com crash, Altavoz continued to provide stock to thousands of independent stores, big box stores and was receiving 1.2 million hits a day on the official website.
In 2011, Jacobsen took a new leadership role in the company as CEO. In 2013, Altavoz began online presentations for distribution deals exporting US-made music. Part of the incorporation of Altavoz included the non-profit "Help Earth Foundation." On September 25, 2015, Max Media Group, Inc. announced that its board of directors had voted unanimously to transfer a majority of the control of MXMI to Altavoz Entertainment. As of the end of 2015, Jacobsen, a board member of MXMI, continues to lead Altavoz as CEO.

Major project

In collaboration with David Lynch, Altavoz released a limited-edition vinyl box set to benefit the David Lynch Foundation on Record Store Day in 2012. The compilation, Music That Changes the World, features 34 songs from Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits, Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, Iggy Pop, Maroon 5, Neon Trees and more. The four-LP box set also includes a 42-page color book, custom-made by “Imprint Indie Printing” of N. Venice, Florida. The book, introduced by David Lynch, was illustrated by Nepali artist Romio Shrestha and New Jersey artist Davel Hamue. All songs were re-mastered for this project by Gavin Lurssen. While Altavoz had the right to release up to 2,500 of these box-sets, less than 350 actual box sets were available, all of which had to be delivered overnight on a Friday for Saturday's Record Store Day.

Exclusive library release (2015)

"Songs of Phillip Carter" was released exclusively to US Public Libraries before being made available to digital and physical outlets. This is to highlight the importance of Huge Public Libraries as modern media players, and opportunities that they provide for artists like Phillip Carter to connect to their communities and patrons. Phillip Carter has the distinction of being the first gospel artist with an exclusive music release to the US Public Library system.

Artists

* Not currently signed.

Billboard chart history

2013:
Dawn Richard CD Goldenheart January 2013
after leaving Diddy Dirty Money and Danity Kane
Chart Peak
position
UK Independent Albums Breakers16
US Billboard 200137
US Independent Albums21
US Top Heatseekers Albums2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums22

Quinn Sullivan - CD Getting There Released May 2013 reached #4 on Billboard Blues Chart. Aug, 24th 2013
2015:
John Bull and the Bandits, Single "Mr Bradley" April 9, 2015 #73 Billboard Blues Cart.