Proper Music Distribution is an independent UK music distributor, specialising in (but not limited to) contemporary and catalogue folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, Americana

Americana (music)

Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...

, world music

World music

World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

, blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and other roots-based music.

Founded in 2000 by owner Malcolm Mills, the company is based in South London, and is the exclusive UK distributor for a number of independent record labels, including sister company Proper Records

Proper Records

Proper Records is a record label founded in 1988 by Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including The Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew in stature and renown through its reissue marque, 'Proper Box', whose 4CD boxsets for...

.

Nominated as one of the top five UK distributors in the 2008 Music Week

Music Week

Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...

Awards, Proper Music Distribution has since won this same accolade in both 2009 and 2010.

Artists distributed

• 3 Daft Monkeys
  3 Daft Monkeys
  3 Daft Monkeys are a world music-influenced acoustic band from Cornwall, UK, consisting of Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, and Lukas Drinkwater...
  
  
• Amy LaVere
  Amy LaVere
  Amy LaVere is an American singer, songwriter, upright bass player and actress based in Memphis, TN. Her music is classified as Americana, combining a blend of classic country, gypsy jazz, and southern soul...
  
  
• Art Garfunkel
  Art Garfunkel
  Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
  
  
• Basquiat Strings
  Basquiat Strings
  Basquiat Strings is a British jazz quintet led by the cellist Ben Davis, who composes all the music. It features an innovative line-up which hybridises the classical string quartet with the jazz rhythm section .Classically trained but having grown up alongside non-classical musicians, they have...
  
  
• Bassekou Kouyate
  Bassekou Kouyate
  Bassekou Kouyaté is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni ba.He was born in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou in 1966. At the age of 12, he started playing the Ngoni. In the late 80's he moved to the capital Bamako.Kouyaté's album Segu Blue was released internationally...
  
   & Ngoni Ba
• Bella Hardy
  Bella Hardy
  Arwen Arabella Hardy, known professionally as Bella Hardy, is a contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from Edale in Derbyshire...
  
  
• Bellowhead
  Bellowhead
  Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
  
  
• Beth Neilsen Chapman
• Cara Dillon
  Cara Dillon
  Cara Dillon is an Irish folk singer. In 2001, she launched her career as a solo artist in the UK with the eponymous Cara Dillon album...
  
  
• Chumbawamba
  Chumbawamba
  Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
  
  
• Curios
• Dave Swarbrick
  Dave Swarbrick
  Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
  
  
• Dengue Fever
  Dengue Fever (band)
  Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.-History:The band was formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia...
  
  
• Drever McCusker Woomble
• Eliza Carthy
  Eliza Carthy
  Eliza Carthy is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.-Life and career:...
  
  
• Elizabeth Cook
  Elizabeth Cook
  Elizabeth Cook is an American country music singer who made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry on March 17, 2000. She has released five albums to date. Balls was produced by Rodney Crowell, and nine of the album's 11 tracks were written or co-written by Elizabeth – including the single "Sometimes It...
  
  
• Fairport Convention
  Fairport Convention
  Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
  
  
• Fotheringay
  Fotheringay
  Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned...
  
  
• Joan Baez
  Joan Baez
  Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
  
  
• Karine Polwart
  Karine Polwart
  Karine Polwart is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide...
  
  
• Lau
  Lau (band)
  Lau is a contemporary folk three-piece from Scotland, named after an Orcadian word meaning "natural light." The band is composed of Kris Drever , Martin Green and Aidan O’Rourke . To date, the band has released two studio albums and a live album.Their debut album, Lightweights and Gentlemen, was...
  
  
• Marcos Valle
  Marcos Valle
  Marcos Kostenbader Valle is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. He has produced works in many musical styles, including bossa nova, samba, incidental music and fusions of American/European rock, soul and dance music with Brazilian styles.-Biography:Valle's talent was evident from...
  
  
• Martin Carthy
  Martin Carthy
  Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
  
  
• Nick Lowe
  Nick Lowe
  Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
  
  
• Nils Lofgren
  Nils Lofgren
  Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
  
  
• Oysterband
  Oysterband
  Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
  
  
• Peatbog Faeries
  Peatbog Faeries
  The Peatbog Faeries are a largely instrumental Celtic fusion band. Formed in 1991, they are based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.Their music embodies many styles and influences, including folk, electronica, rock and jazz, - but their main influence is traditional celtic music...
  
  
• Portico Quartet
  Portico Quartet
  Portico Quartet are a 4-piece modern jazz group from London and Southampton. Their sound is made distinctive by the use of the Hang, a 21st Century percussion instrument used on all their tracks. The group is composed of Jack Wyllie , Duncan Bellamy , Milo Fitzpatrick , and Keir Vine...
  
  
• Richard Thompson
• Ricky Skaggs
  Ricky Skaggs
  Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
  
  
• Seu Jorge
  Seu Jorge
  Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. He is considered by his fans a renewer of Brazilian pop samba...
  
  
• Show Of Hands
  Show of Hands
  Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bassist Miranda Sykes.-Origins:...
  
  
• The Demon Barbers
• The Imagined Village
  The Imagined Village
  The Imagined Village is a folk musical project founded by Simon Emmerson of the Afro Celt Sound System. It is intended to produce modern folk music that represents modern multiculturalism in the United Kingdom and as such, features musicians from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds...
  
  
• The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band
• The Neil Cowley
  Neil Cowley
  Neil Cowley is a contemporary jazz pianist who previous incarnations include Fragile State, The Green Nuns of the Revolution, and the recently formed Neil Cowley Trio that appeared on Jools Holland in April 2008 and won the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for best album, "Displaced".-Biography:Cowley began...
  
   Trio
• The Watson Twins
  The Watson Twins
  The Watson Twins are an American musical group based in Los Angeles with alternative country and indie folk influences. They are identical twin sisters named Chandra and Leigh Watson....
  
  
• Touchstone
  Touchstone (band)
  Touchstone is a rock band from the UK. The original band was formed by Rob Cottingham in 2001, after the release of his solo album 'Behind the Orchard Tree' - recorded at Linford Manor Studios in Milton Keynes . Adam Hodgson joined in 2003. Other more recent band members include bassist Paul...
  
  
• Waterson:Carthy
  Waterson:Carthy
  Waterson:Carthy are an English folk group originally comprising Norma Waterson on vocals, her husband Martin Carthy on guitar and vocals and their daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and vocals....
  
  

Distributed record labels

• Arc Music
  ARC Music
  ARC Music Productions International Limited is a specialist world music and folk music label based in West Sussex, United Kingdom. It was established in 1976...
  
  
• Alligator Records
  Alligator Records
  Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
  
  
• Analog Africa
• Curb Records
  Curb Records
  Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
  
  
• Far Out Recordings
  Far Out Recordings
  Far Out Recordings is a UK-based record label specializing is the music of Brazil.The label released a Milton Nascimento performance of two ballets.-Artists:*Aleuda*Antonio Adolfo*Arthur Verocai*Azymuth*Binario*Celia Vaz*Clara Moreno*Danny Wheeler...
  
  
• Fellside Records
  Fellside Records
  Fellside Records was a record label formed and is still run by Paul Adams and Linda Adams, in 1976 in Workington, Cumbria. Paul had toured semi-professionally with the Barry Skinner Folk Group in his teens. Paul and Linda married in 1974. Starting as a folk/acoustic label. They issued jazz under...
  
  
• Fledg'ling
• Greentrax
• Hegri
• Hightone
• JSP Records
  JSP Records
  JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman , releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. The label is based in London, England.JSP now predominantly releases remastered CDs...
  
  
• Navigator Records
• Proper Records
  Proper Records
  Proper Records is a record label founded in 1988 by Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including The Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew in stature and renown through its reissue marque, 'Proper Box', whose 4CD boxsets for...
  
  
• Real World Records
  Real World Records
  Real World Records is a record label started in 1989 by Peter Gabriel to record and produce world music.-Overview:The label grew up alongside the success of the WOMAD festivals and Peter Gabriel's exploration of music from other cultures, and helped push world music into the general public's...
  
  
• Ruf Records
  Ruf Records
  The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in Lindewerra, Germany. As of 2008 Ruf has produced 120 releases, sold over 1 million albums, received two Grammy nominations and ten Blues Music Award nominations....
  
  
• Sain
  Sain
  Sain , in full – Recordiau Sain Cyf is a Welsh record label, which was in the Welsh folk revival....
  
  
• Shanachie Records
  Shanachie Records
  Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
  
  
• Specific Jazz
• Topic Records
  Topic Records
  Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
  
  
• Vanguard Records
  Vanguard Records
  Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
  
  

External links

• Proper Music Distribution official website
• Proper Music Distribution's official Blog