Believe Digital

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Believe
TypePublic
Euronext Paris: BLV
IndustryMusic
Founded2005; 16 years ago (2005)
Founders
  • Denis Ladegaillerie
  • Arnaud Chiaramonti
  • Nicolas Laclias
HeadquartersParis, France
Number of locations
44 countries
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Denis Ladegaillerie (Chief Executive Officer)
  • Romain Vivien (Board member and managing Director)
  • Xavier Dumont (Director General)
  • Marie-Anne Robert (Global Head of Artist Services)
Services
Number of employees
990 employees
Websitewww.believemusic.com

Believe (also known as Believe Digital, Believe Distribution Services and Believe Music) is a French record label and music distributor.[1] It has more than 20 brands and Merch labels, such as Believe Distribution Services, AllPoints, Naïve, and Nuclear Blast.

History[]

Beginnings[]

The company was founded in 2005 by Denis Ladegaillerie, Arnaud Chiaramonti and Nicolas Laclias.[2]

Although operating from its global headquarter in Paris, France, the company is legally headquartered in Luxembourg, supposedly for tax purposes.

Growth[]

Believe acquired the US. distribution service for independent artists TuneCore in April 2015. Believe Digital's expansion was fueled by $60m growth capital investment from Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) and XAnge. In August 2016, the company acquired the French independent label Naive Records for €10m, seeking to improve value from the company's extensive back catalogue, and restarted the label's issuing of new recordings as physical CDs in 2017.

In September 2018, Believe acquired a 49% stake in French indie label Tôt ou tard from Wagram Music. In October 2018, Believe acquired a majority stake in German label Nuclear Blast.

According to news reports,[3] Believe projected it will reach €700 million in revenue in 2019, while providing services and distribution for 1.5 million artists. By the end of 2019, it estimated it will have 1,200 employees worldwide.

The company has embarked on an expansion drive in developing digital music markets such as Russia and India.[4] In 2019, Believe acquired Mumbai live event production specialist Entco, and rebranded the company “Believe Entertainment.”

Copyright controversy[]

Believe has been accused of copyright trolling, particularly on YouTube, where it has been alleged to engage in claiming copyright for works that are either copyright free or that they do not own the rights to.[5][6][7] The company was the subject of a New York federal lawsuit alleging that they were behind large scale, willful copyright infringement.[8]

Awards[]

In September 2019, the French government identified Believe as one of the 40 most promising French start-ups, with the French Tech Next40 index.[9] In October 2019, Believe was named Europe’s “Allstar” company at the 17th Annual Investor Allstars awards in London.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ GmbH, finanzen net. "World's Biggest Heavy Music Label Just Got Heavier | Markets Insider". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  2. ^ "Believe Digital, la pépite française de la musique qui fait de l'ombre aux majors". L'Expansion (in French). 28 May 2015. Retrieved 1 Jun 2021.
  3. ^ "Le français Believe veut devenir le « Publicis de la musique »". Les Echos (in French). 3 Oct 2019. Retrieved 20 Nov 2019.
  4. ^ "Believe buys Indian event production company Entco". IQ Magazine. 24 Sep 2019. Retrieved 20 Nov 2019.
  5. ^ Jackie M (9 Jun 2018). "How I Deal With Fake YouTube Copyright Claims by Believe Music". Medium. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Believe Music Copyright Scam". Reddit. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Copyright claim by "believe music" on youtube video". Envato Forums. 12 Mar 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  8. ^ Smith, Dylan (3 Aug 2020). "Tunecore, Believe Digital Sued for Massive and Willful Copyright Infringement". Digital Music News. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  9. ^ Ménage, Gaëlle (18 Sep 2019). "Next40 : Forbes Vous Fait Découvrir Les Pépites De La French Tech". Forbes France (in French). Retrieved 20 Nov 2019.
  10. ^ Investor Allstars (sponsor) (4 Oct 2019). "A celebration of European tech takes over central London". Sifted.eu. Retrieved 20 Nov 2019.
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