Zebralution is one of the world's leading digital distributors for independent labels. Founded in December of 2003, the company operates from locations in Duisburg, Berlin, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona. With label licensors from the German-speaking countries, the UK, and the United States as well as shop partners in North America, Europe, and Asia, Zebralution is a worldwide operation. The new digital music retailers often lack the resources to acquire content from hundreds of independent labels and cooperate with them in their day-to-day business. Independent labels, on the other hand, rarely have the expertise and time to keep up with all digital products and business models and to negotiate and communicate with dozens of download platforms.

Zebralution functions as an interface between retailers and rights owners. We collect content from many independent labels and provide them to numerous shops in the mobile sector and the Internet. By pooling the rights of many smaller labels we have created a great and varied catalogue that is recognized by digital retailers around the world. Our Services As a digital distributor, Zebralution guarantees to its labels availability and good placement with the digital retailers, just as a physical distributor ensures the availability of CD releases at offline retailers such as HMV and fnac. We thus offer digital retailers a valuable one-stop content package that includes all required rights. How Zebralution works Zebralution is a member of

Kurt Thielen Managing Director

MD of Rough Trade Germany (later renamed Zomba Germany) for 20 years. Marketing expert whose track record includes breaking acts as diverse as The Smiths, Backstreet Boys and R.Kelly in Germany. Left Zomba after BMG´s take-over to work as a consultant for Vodafone and other online companies and to finally set up Zebralution.

Manuela Griese Assistant to the MD

Kurt´s Assistant for many years - now effectively running the headquarter office and making sure our administration is catching up with the growth of our business.

Nanni Linden Accountancy

The most important person for all of our labels. She is responsible for the punctual payment of the invoices and checks, if all formal criteria on the documents are fulfilled.

Sascha Lazimbat Managing Director

Background as a music journalist, worked as an attorney in one of Germany´s top music biz law firms and as Executive Assistant to the COO at Senator (Germany´s biggest movie indie). 4 years mobile experience as Vodafone Germany´s Head Of Music & Video (first operator world-wide to launch dual-delivery full-track downloads to Mobile and PC).

Candy Hansen Assistant to the MD/Junior PM Mobile

Joined Zebralution after a three-year education at Ministry Of Sound Germany, in which she successfully contributed to the prestigious „Sueddeutsche Zeitung Discothek“ project.

Bettina Wohlgefahrt Head of Marketing

Started out as a DJ and organized her first conference on music and the Internet as early as 1999. Her agency Outbuero specializes in press, PR and events.

Tobias Kallfaß Assistant Marketing

Tobias Kallfaß assists Bettina Wohlgefahrt in the Berlin Marketing office. During his studies as media manager he joined the company and was employed as assistant to Bettina Wohlgefahrt in the international marketing, after graduation.

Volker Schwettmann Head Of Production

Responsible for physical record production at Rough Trade / Zomba Germany for many years, Volker is now managing our encoding and delivery contractors. He's left-handed.

Elmar Töller Production Assistant

Volker´s right hand man.

Manuela Schulz Production Assistant

Volker's right hand woman.

Natalie Carlson Senior VP, America

Former label executive Grand Royal Records and label manager Alternative Distribution Alliance (Time Warner).

James Kyllo Senior VP, UK & Commonwealth

James has worked in the industry for many years, as General Manager of AIM Digital, the new media arm of the UK´s Association of Independent Music, and prior to that as Head of Legal and Business Affairs for both Poptones and Creation.

Véronique Peyrot Senior VP, France

Ex-VP Legal/Business Affairs at EMI / Virgin France, where her responsibilities included online and digital.

Eric Schmitz Label- & Product Management

Based on his marketing and promotion experience, gained as label-, product- and promotion manager at V2 records, Zomba / Rough Trade Distribution and Community Promotion, Eric is the contact person for our labels and coordinates the individual releases in collaboration with our retail marketing team.

Marius Vogel Business & Legal Affairs Manager

Marius Vogel is responsible for license agreements with labels and digital retailers in the Berlin office. Marius has vast experience in the entertainment and digital industries; his previous employers include Sony BMG, Cologne-based management and PR company kick-media and Berlin-based music software manufacturer Magix.

Alexandre Van Looy Senior VP, Spain

Van Looy has previously worked for Wotre Music, Crammed Disc, Virgin Spain and in artist management. He markets the Zebralution repertoire to shops in Spain and Portugal and signs labels from these countries for the World.

Carlo Martelli Senior VP, Italy

Martelli ran Mute/Labels in Italy for 5 years and worked for ca. 10 years for BMG Italy before that. His numerous contacts will be very useful in placing our catalogue in Italy.

Christoph Bornefeld-Ettmann Head of Operations

Bornefeld-Ettmann has been involved in digital music services since the 90's (for example Billboard Talent Net, Musicline.de and T-Online's Musicload) and comes to us from his position as VP International at 7Digital.