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The music industry’s big announcement this spring: Johanne Goyette, founding president of ATMA Classique, and Guillaume Lombart, founding president of Ad Litteram, entered into an agreement to tranfer ownership of the ATMA Classique label. The transaction took effect on April 1 and will allow Ad Litteram to acquire Disques ATMA Inc. shares and ATMA Classique, which turns 25 this year.
“After dedicating 25 years to establishing ATMA Classique as a world-renowned company, I wanted to ensure a transfer that would guarantee the label’s continuity while also stimulating new ideas,” said Goyette. She added she felt secure handing over the reins to Guillaume Lombart and Ad Litteram, with their 20-year experience in the music industry. “Now I can concentrate on recording, which I still love doing.” Goyette is confident the transaction will ensure the business continues to be viable with a “bold vision of the future,” emphasizing video and expanding the digital catalogue. Under Lombart’s leadership, the artistic vision, catalogue and roster of ATMA Classique artists will remain, as will all current and coming projects. Goyette will now be in charge of artistic planning and recording.
More visibility on digital platforms
Goyette points out how important video will be in the development of the label, considering how much experience Ad Litteram has in this field. “We can find a niche for ourselves given the possibilities for growth provided by digital platforms such as Apple TV,” she says. “I’ll go on doing what I love most, and I’d like ATMA Classique to continue to prosper with the work I began with a whole group of musicians, some of whom have been with me right from the start.”
Goyette is glad that Lombart wants to preserve the label’s identity, and confirms that the conditions of sale suit her perfectly. “Ad Litteram is a stable company with long and deep experience and a solid basis,” she says, citing the extensive knowledge of the “seasoned businessman,” as she describes Lombart. For his part, Lombart said when the acquisition was announced: “Ad Litteram’s goal is to continue Johanne’s outstanding work, and we will rise to the challenge at this time of major shifts and changes in an ever-evolving music industry. With our in-house technological capabilities such as video streaming, combined with the expertise of the ATMA team, we are well equipped to face these new challenges. Also, Ad Litteram is looking to enter into new partnerships with artists to better meet their needs.”
The range of services offered by Ad Litteram includes music publishing, recording, shows, artist management and video production. Lombart is a French music publisher based in Montreal since 1998 and one of the founders of the Professional Music Publishers’ Association in Canada. In 2012 he set up the Livetoune video streaming site to promote the music of Quebec artists online, in partnership with organizations such as RIDEAU, the Granby International Song Festival, La Fabrique culturelle, SOCAN and Place des Arts.
Diversify the catalogue
As for the future, Goyette is focussing on the way the record market is changing and thinks it is essential to consider ways to diversify the label’s catalogue. “We’re always attracted to original projects by talented artists,” she says, adding that web streaming works well, offers artists greater visibility and lets them reach out to new audiences worldwide.
The founder of ATMA recalls the high points of her time as label director and celebrates ATMA’s reputation for outstanding sound quality. Artists on its roster include Karina Gauvin, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain, Janina Fialkowska, the Quatuor Molinari and Les Violons du Roy. The ATMA catalogue holds more than 550 titles in genres ranging from baroque music to the great orchestral works, and includes traditional music, Neapolitan song, tango and contemporary repertoire. Albums are distributed in 25 countries and are available on all digital platforms.
Among the turning points in the history of the label were early recordings of the Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “When we released Mahler 4, which was an early recording with the Orchestre Métropolitain, the French magazine Diapason named Yannick as one of the top 10 conductors of the future”, recalls Goyette with pride. Her vision and flair have never let the company down.
Translated by Cecilia Grayson
Johanne Goyette
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