A monumental year, 2017 marks The Orchard’s 20th anniversary as a pioneer in digital distribution. In the past two decades, The Orchard has worked with wonderful clients and talented artists to release award winning records and films. Through progressive development in licensing, technology, advertising and more, The Orchard has grown from a storefront office on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to more than 25 offices around the globe. Just twenty years young, we are proud to call ourselves the industry’s leading independent music distributor and among the fastest growing distributors of independent films. Most importantly, we are thankful for the tight-knit family of employees that have made every success possible.
The Orchard began on the corner of Orchard Street in New York City in 1997 as the brainchild of Richard Gottehrer and Scott Cohen. Scott and Richard started out with the same core goal we work by today; empowering independent creators to deliver their art to the world. Here are a few words from our founders 20 years later:
“When Richard and I started the Orchard in 1997 digital music business was not even in its infancy. For context, Napster didn’t even launch until 1999. During this early period of the company most people never even heard of a digital music file. At the time, there was a gap between our digital world and their day to day analogue world. I have so much respect for those pioneering artists and labels that decided to take the leap into the unknown. They paved the way for the next generation.” – Scott Cohen
“In the late 1700’s New York City’s Orchard Street was a large farm and apple orchard owned by Captain Delancey who returned to England after the Revolutionary War; leaving the orchard behind. We arrived in 1997 and planted it again with music. It became ‘A Place To Grow’ and it did. From a seed of an idea The Orchard grew into a business, a family, a way of life and continues to grow to this day.” – Richard Gottehrer
The Orchard continues to grow and adapt to the constantly evolving digital landscape. We see each new challenge as an opportunity to innovate and create a new solution. If you think we have accomplished a lot in the past 20 years, imagine what we are capable of next.
