Oh Boy Records has announced an exclusive music distribution partnership with Thirty Tigers.
As of Friday (May 13), Thirty Tigers will officially manage the worldwide distribution of Oh Boy’s physical and digital catalog, as well as upcoming projects. The independent label was founded in 1981 by songwriter John Prine and his manager Al Bunetta.
“We get to make the music we want to, in the way we always have, with support from a company that works with many other independent artists I admire,” Prine said.
Oh Boy Records and Thirty Tigers are both based in Nashville, which will make for a close working relationship.
Thirty Tigers founder David Macias said, “There are a few moments in this business that I will always remember, and I’ll put right at the top of the list when I found out that we were being bestowed the honor of fighting for the music of John Prine. The wit, the empathy, the songwriting perfection have been the North Star for so many artists, and his music has meant so much to me personally. I can’t wait to get started.”
Founded at a time when artist-run labels were extremely rare, Oh Boy Records has become one of the most respected independent labels in the business. In 2015, after the sudden passing of Bunetta, Prine became the sole owner and President of OBR.
John Prine
Now a family run company, John’s wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, is Managing Partner, and oldest son Jody Whelan is Director of Operations. Supporting Jody Whelan with day-to- day operations is Eileen Tilson, Director of Marketing.
Whelan said, “We’re very excited to start working with Thirty Tigers. Oh Boy Records is a label dedicated to songwriters and their craft, and Thirty Tigers will help support us in sharing our catalog with fans all over the world. And we’ve got some great new projects that we can’t wait to announce!”
As one of the longest-running independent and artist-owned labels in the country, Oh Boy Records has released recordings by singer-songwriters such as Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Donnie Fritts, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder and Todd Snider, along with reissues of classic country music artists including Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty and more.
Thirty Tigers is a music marketing, management, distribution, and publishing company. Thirty Tigers Distribution has served as a label infrastructure for a vast client base including The Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chase Rice, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Bingham, Patty Griffin, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Trampled By Turtles, and many others in their 14 years of working with Sony/RED Distribution.
