Billboard’s #1 independent gospel CEO Kerry Douglas’ Worldwide Music, Inc. label has signed a distribution agreement with RED Distribution. Douglas and his staff are organizing A-List guest collaborations and picking the best songs for upcoming CD releases by Zacardi Cortez, Ted Winn, Bryan Wilson and others. As a part of the deal, RED will also reissue and market the Worldwide Music catalogue that features #1 radio hits like James Fortune & FIYA’s “I Trust You,” Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson’s “Let Go And Let God” and Evelyn Turrentine Agee’s “God Did It,” among others.
“I’m excited about working with RED because I think that together we’re going to take gospel to new heights,” says Douglas. “RED is opening a door for us to the mainstream and we’re not walking but running through it because – with all the troubles people are going through – we want the world to experience the joy and inspiration that gospel music brings.” RED President Bob Morelli echoes the sentiment. “We are pleased to get a second chance to work with Kerry and Worldwide Music, Inc.,” he notes. “We all saw the amazing job WWM did for Billboard 2012 #1 Gospel Artist James Fortune and we are anxious to repeat that success together on behalf of rising stars like Zacardi Cortez, Ted Winn and Bryan Wilson. WWM fulfills our desire to work with the very best in the Gospel Music genre.”
The first project under the new deal is the “Kerry Douglas Presents Gospel Mix VI” CD that hits stores everywhere on August 20th. It continues Douglas’ best-selling “Gospel Mix” series of compilation CDs that introduced the world to artists such as James Fortune & FIYA and Earnest Pugh. The new collection features stellar songs by Tamela Mann, Ruben Studdard and James Fortune & FIYA. Two new songs from the project – Zacardi Cortez’ “1 on 1” and Bryan Wilson’s “It Will Happen For Me” – are both receiving gospel and Urban AC radio love as Douglas plans to release more singles from the set.
The Houston, TX-based Worldwide Music, Inc. has been making hit gospel recordings since 1997. In the years since, Douglas and his team have muscled its songs on to radio airplay lists, into the big chain stores and it has consistently been named by Billboard magazine as one of the top independent labels in gospel music. RED Distribution is an award-winning division of Sony Music Entertainment, headquartered in New York City. It’s widely recognized as the industry leader in music distribution and artist development. RED specializes in digital and physical sales, marketing, D2C, radio promotion and product development for more than 60 independent record labels, as well as select artists from Sony owned labels. RED’s marketing outreach is unsurpassed in generating consumer awareness for artists, labels and brand partners. Follow Worldwide Music, inc. onwww.mrkerrydouglas.com
