Hal Leonard and Barbershop Harmony Society Expand Deal
Distribution Now Includes Society's Own Previously Unavailable Arrangements
MILWAUKEE - Hal Leonard Corporation has reached an agreement with the Nashville-based Barbershop Harmony Society to expand the scope of products in its global distribution deal.
The world's largest publisher of songbooks and music education materials has had a relationship with the Barbershop Harmony Society since 2007. Hal Leonard has used the Society's arrangements in its popular Close Harmony for Men choral series, and in its innovative Sing in the Barbershop Quartet series. These sing-along collections let men sing four-part a cappella harmony with a professionally recorded barbershop quartet. The books include TTBB parts and the CDs feature full performances.
The company will continue to develop titles in these two series, and will now also distribute the Society's own barbershop arrangements worldwide. More than 100 authentic arrangements - never before available through the music dealer network - will be added to the Hal Leonard catalog for convenient ordering.
Hal Leonard and the Barbershop Harmony Society will jointly market these publications to educators through Hal Leonard's national Joy of Singing workshops and via reading sessions at select music retailers. Hal Leonard plans to reach the growing international market through its operations in Europe, Australia/New Zealand and Asia.
Doug Lady, senior VP of sales for Hal Leonard, says, "Thanks to shows like The Sing-Off, the a cappella format is becoming increasingly popular and reaching a younger audience. There are great opportunities that the Barbershop Harmony Society and Hal Leonard can realize, making the hits of yesterday and today available in great barbershop arrangements."
Barbershop Harmony Society CEO/Executive Director Marty Monson comments, "Barbershop harmony is vocal music in its purest form. It provides not only a creative outlet, but also an incomparable sense of fraternity. We've loved working with Hal Leonard, and we're thrilled to be expanding our relationship with them to bring barbershop harmony to an even larger global audience."
About the Barbershop Harmony Society
The Barbershop Harmony Society is the world's largest all-male singing Society, with more than 23,000 members across North America; affiliated men's and women's organizations in more than a dozen countries bring the total number of active singers to more than 70,000 worldwide.
Through active programs in music education, publishing, performance and outreach, the Society preserves and extends the reach of a uniquely American close harmony musical art form whose roots lie in African-American improvisation and European harmony traditions.
Founded in 1938, the Nashville-based Society has celebrated its 75th Anniversary by robustly expanding its support of community and school programs that bring the fellowship, fulfillment and excitement of a cappella music to a new generation of singers. For more information, please visit www.barbershop.org.