Rostrum Records

Rostrum Records has acquired distribution company and retail brand, Fat Beats.
The acquisition, announced today (Jan. 25), will give Rostrum artists direct backing from Fat Beats’ wholesale distribution, e-commerce support, and direct-to-consumer fulfillment with an open line to brick-and-mortar stores. In return, Fat Beats will join the Rostrum Pacific umbrella — Rostrum’s entertainment company — and continue to operate as their own entity with access to Rostrum’s various vehicles, including sister companies Spaceheater, Rostrum Pacific’s catalog marketing arm, and Rostrum Records. 

“Fat Beats is a legendary brand that I’ve been a fan of for decades. From Rostrum Records to our most recent expansion of Rostrum Pacific, we’ve diligently outlined the next 20 years of our company. One of our goals has been to get vertically involved with physical distribution, and Fat Beats is a key part of that strategy,” Benjy Grinberg, Rostrum Pacific’s CEO and founder, tells Billboard. “Together, we can offer a level of professionalism, strategy, and forward-thinking that most physical companies lack. The ability to acquire Fat Beats and help it grow to new heights is incredibly exciting for us.” 

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“As a pillar of the independent Hip-Hop community since 1994, it was important to me to ensure what we’ve built over the last 30 years is well cared for and respected,” adds Joe Abajian, founder of Fat Beats. “We have found the perfect custodians in Benjy and the Rostrum Pacific team, and we’re confident that Fat Beats now has the expertise and resources to continue growing well into the future.”

Along with acquiring Fat Beats, Rostrum announced that it would hire Kevin Engler as general manager of Fat Beats and Bobby Israeli as Rostrum Pacific’s head of e-commerce. For almost 20 years, Engler previously worked at UMG and was most recently vice president of Commercial Strategy at Ingrooves, a division of UMG, while Bobby Israeli will join Rostrum Pacific after leading the e-commerce teams and strategy for UMG’s East Coast labels, including Def Jam Records, Island Records, and Verve Music Group. Both will report directly to Rostrum Pacific COO Jonathan Partch.