Planet Records Europe

Planet Records
Founded 1998
Founder Roberto Ferrante
Headquarters Naples, Italy
Products Music, Videos, Entertainment & Magazines
Website www.planetrecords.it

Planet Records was created in 1998 by the producer Roberto Ferrante[1] and in a few years it became an important point of reference among the Italian and European independent labels, winning 12 platinum records, 4 gold records and 2 silver records in Italy and Europe with its own products, for a total of several million copies sold[2] and countless hits and albums present in the official sales charts all over the world.

Planet Records is part of an international Discographic & Publishing Group, with branches and / or operators in Miami, New York, Napoli, Milan, Paris, Havana-Cuba, Santo Domingo using a large worldwide distribution network of both "physical records" and "digital music". The Group is managed by the European headquarters staff. In the U.S., the staff includes human resources of great experience like Daisy De La Cruz as Head of Promotion, Marlene Maseda as TV promoter and Jeff Young (and his Venetian Staff) as sales manager.

The Group

The brands Planet Records America and Planet Records Europe are an exclusive ownership, to the group also belong various international Music Publishing Companies and the recording/remastering studio "Planet Recordings Studio" (intended only to Planet's own production). Since 2004, Planet is also operative in the sector of magazines with Latino!, bimonthly music magazine that, in 8 years, has sold in Italian newsstands more than 1,250,000 copies, and other successful magazine publications.

History

In 1998 Flying Records closed its doors, which it was a former and one of the largest independent label of the 90s, which produced brands such as Umm, Crime Squad, and various artists like Articolo 31, 99 Posse, Sottotono, Prozac +. Many ex-Flying collaborators preferred to move to Milan looking for new work opportunities while Roberto Ferrante producer and remixer of some of the best hits of Flying Records decided to stay in Naples and create a new independent record company who named it Planet Records.[3]

It started with little resources therefore the first productions were licensed to bigger companies (like BMG Virgin, EMI and New Music for instance). By this period Planet has produced Lisa (which got at the 2nd place as New Proposal and the 3rd place in Sanremo's 1998 as a top 20 selling album), "Acida" of Prozac +, a remix achieved the 2nd place at the Fimi-Nielsen Single, Miele (Top 20 Fimi-Nielsen Single), Simone Jay (Fimi-Nielsen Top 50 Singles) and the return of the Italian pop star Paolo Belli, back in 2001 on sales and airplay charts thanks to a long process that led him to the Saturday Night Show on the Italian TV channel Raiuno in the show Torno Sabato with Giorgio Panariello.

2003

After years of activity and a huge number of artists entering into the Italian, American and European Top10 charts. Roberto Ferrante decides that it is time to do all by himself, and Planet Records finally becomes a fully independent label only collaborating with the big majors with the physical CD distribution in record shops and stores. The first hit came in the same year 2003 with Noelia "Enamorada", followed by Aventura[4] with the historic "Obsesión"[1][5](the top seller CD single and album in the 10 best sellers of 2003) and various other projects top sellers (compilations) such as "Gusto Latino" and "Viva El Caribe!".

2004 ~ 2006

Planet created a music magazine with a CD included which has called it Latino![6] that from the very first issues became a success at the Italian newsstands (almost 1,250,000 copies actually sold in 8 years, without interruption in Official Nielsen sales charts[7]). At the end of 2004 Planet Records promoted a new Dominican artist, Papi Sánchez releasing the CD "Yeah Baby" and the hit single "Enamórame", who sold about 1,000,000 copies in Europe (Gold status in France, Gold status in Benelux), in 2005/2006 Planet continues the collection of chart hits with the reconfirmation of Aventura among the 20 top sellers of the year with the album Love & Hate (Gold status) and God's Project (Silver record status), followed by the hit singles Nore feat. Nina Sky "Oye Mi Canto", Bascom X "Lonely Girl", the new Hystorical CD of the reunion of the Tears for Fears "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" (Silver record status) and the return of former Spice Girl Melanie C with the album "Beautiful Intention", in 2005 Planet is the only independent label with 3 artists, present at the most important music TV show: the Festivalbar, Planet in 2006 released his first Italian product, the new artist Piper whose single CD "Ciao Ciao"[8] is one of the hit of that summer.

2007

With the success of Latino! Magazine in Italy, Planet released and promoted the new solo album "This Time" by the former Spice Girl Melanie C (whose single "I Want Candy" became one of the massively played and sold songs in the spring of 2007), release and promoted the Aventura's new album "KOB" followed by the success of the new album of The Ark in autumn 2007 and in April 2008 the new album of Hanson.

2008 ~ 2010

Planet Records opened an office at Miami, Florida USA and became Planet Records US LLC.[1] The winning strategy of the Italian independent label is to offer also in North America the best Caribbean and Latin music. Just a few months since the opening of the U.S. office, Planet closes a deal with Sony BMG for the US distribution of music branded Planet Records. The first 3 CD products released in the USA immediately entered the American charts. Planet Records, from the beginning, is in each issue of Billboard USA Tropical Album Sales and Soundscan Digital Songs Charts, several songs are always present each week in the BDS Airplay Chart,[9] and are also achieved two #1 iTunes U.S. Album Sales and received 2 nominations at the Latin Grammy ©.[10] The Dominican Urban merengue, Cuban salsa, but also the Reggaeton or Bachata new trends, and all new musical caribbean movements are now promoted by "Planet Records" all over the world.

2011 ~ 2012

Thanks to the huge success of Omega,[11] El Cata, Gente De Zona, Alex Matos worldwide, but also Prince Royce, Luis Enrique, Fito Blanko in Europe, with 3 nominations at the Billboard Awards, and Latino! Magazine which exceeded the 1.250.000 of copies sold, Planet Records expanded its physical distribution network throughout Europe but also strengthened its presence in the digital music marketplace through direct agreements with major digital stores worldwide. In the U.S. the distribution of physical products is carried out by Select-O-Hits which is the largest independent distributor of CDs in the USA.

Artists

International artists

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "-Planet Waves- Italian Tropical Speciality Label Comes to U.S.". Billboard Magazine. September 13, 2008. p. 14.
  2. ↑ Matteo Cruccu (December 2, 2009). "Abbiamo battuto la crisi a ritmo di musica latina" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera – Italie/Campania. p. 15.
  3. ↑ Vanni Fondi (November 21, 2011). "Planet Records. Ferrante, da musicista a inventore di "star"" (in Italian). Naples: Corriere del Mezzogiorno. p. 14.
  4. ↑ Alfredo d'Agnese (October 17, 2003). "L'hit che arriva dai Caraibi? Prima è passato da Napoli..." (in Italian). Rome: it:Il Venerdì di Repubblica. p. 101.
  5. ↑ Giovanni Pianetta. "Che ossessione questi Aventura!" (in Italian). Verona (Italy): Rivista Sorrisi e Canzoni TV N°45 – Mondadori. p. 24.
  6. ↑ Latino! Official website
  7. ↑ "Classifiche NIELSEN-CRA dal 7 al 12 Ottobre 2005" (in Italian). Milan: TRADE Home Entertainment. November 2005. p. 92.
  8. ↑ M&D (November 2006). "Vetrina Singoli". Milan: M&D. p. 72.
  9. ↑ "Nielsen BDS – Nielsen SoundScan charts". Billboard Magazine. March 27, 2010. p. 58.
  10. ↑ Il Mattino (September 2009). "Ai Grammy latini per la Planet due nomination" (in Italian). Naples: Il Mattino. p. 41.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Charts – Latin Tropical Albums". Billboard.biz. August 7, 2010.