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Planet Records was created in 1998 by the producer Roberto Ferrante and, in a few years, it has become an important point of reference worldwide independent labels, conquering a chart share of 3% of the Italian market with 16 Platinum Records + 7 Gold + 2 Silver Records certified to date, for a total of several million copies sold and countless hits and albums present in the official sales charts, all over the world.

 

Planet Records is part of an international Discographic & Publishing Group, with branches and / or operators in Miami, New York, Napoli, Milan, Paris, Havana-Cuba, Santo Domingo using a large worldwide distribution network of both "phisycal records" and "digital music". The Group is managed by the european headquarters staff. In the U.S., the staff includes human resources of great experience like Daisy De La Cruz as Head of Promotion, Marlene Maseda as TV promoter and Jeff Young (and his Venetian Staff) as sales manager.

 

The Group: the brands Planet Records America and Planet Records Europe are an exclusive ownership, to the group also belong various international Music Publishing Companies and the recordin/remastering studio "Planet Recordings Studio" (intended only to Planet's own production). Since 2004, Planet is also operative in the sector of magazines with Latino!, bimonthly music magazine that, in 8 years, has sold in Italian newsstands more than 1,250,000 copies, and other successful magazine publications. 

 

History: 1998, Flying Records (one of the largest independent '90s label with brands such as Umm, Crime Squad and artists like Articolo 31, 99 Posse, Sottotono, Prozac +, etc..) whose head office is all Neapolitan, finally shuts down. Many former Flying collaborators prefer to move to Milan looking for new work opportunities while Roberto Ferrante, producer and remixer of some of the best hits of Flying Records (as Articolo 31, Ambra, 99 Posse, and at least a hundred titles of International pop and dance hits, etc. ), decides to stay in Naples and create a new independent music production facility named Planet Records.

 

At first, there is not much money, so the first Planet productions are licensed to larger companies (BMG, Virgin, EMI, New Music etc..). In this period, Planet produces Lisa (2nd best new proposals and 3rd big in Sanremo 1998, top 20 selling albums), the remix of "Acida" of Prozac + (# 2 Fimi-Nielsen Single), Miele (Top 20 Fimi-Nielsen single), Simone Jay (Fimi-Nielsen Top 50 Singles) and the return of italian pop star Paolo Belli, back in 2001 in sales and airplay charts, thanks to a long process that led  him to the Saturday night show on Raiuno TV, linked to the Italian Lottery , "Torno Sabato" with Giorgio Panariello.

 

2003: After many years of activity, and a huge number of artists entered into the Italian, American and European top10 charts, Roberto Ferrante decides that it is time to do everything by himself, and PLANET RECORDS finally becomes a fully independent label collaborating with the big majors only for the physical CD distribution in records shops and stores. The first hit came in the same year 2003 with Noelia "Enamorada", followed by Aventura with the historic "Obsesion" (the top seller CD single and album which were in the 10 best sellers of 2003) and various other projects top sellers compilations such as "Gusto Latino" and  " Viva El Caribe!".

 

2004/2005/2006:  Planet, which reached the chart share of 3% in Italy, decided to open a music magazine with CD attached, called Latino! that already from the first issues confirms to be one of the biggest selling music magazine in Italian newsstands (almost 1.250.000 copies actually sold in 8 years, without interruption in Official Nielsen sales charts). At the end of 2004 Planet Records promotes a new Dominican artist, PAPI SANCHEZ releasing the CD "Yeah Baby" and the hit single "Enamorame", who sells 1,000,000 copies in Europe (best-selling album double platinum status in France, gold status in Benelux), in 2005/2006 Planet continues the collection of chart hits with the reconfirmation of Aventura among the 20 top sellers of the year with the album Love & Hate (gold status) and God's Project (silver record status), followed by the hit singles NORE feat. Nina Sky "Oye Mi Canto", Bascom X "Lonely Girl", the new Hystorical CD of the reunion of the mythical TEARS FOR FEARS "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" (silver record status) and the return of former Spice Girl MELANIE C with the album "Beautiful Intention", in 2005 Planet is the only independent label with 3 artists, present at the most important music TV show: the Festivalbar, Planet in 2006 released his first ITALIAN product, the new artist PIPER whose single CD  "Ciao Ciao" is one of the hit of  summer.

 

2007: The success of LATINO! Magazine is still huge, it is the best seller mag with CD attached in Italy, in April Planet releases and promotes the new solo album by the former SPICE GIRL MELANIE C "This Time" (whose single "I Want Candy" is one of the songs massively played and sold in spring 2007) and the new album of Aventura "KOB", followed by the success of the new album by THE ARK in autumn 2007 and in April 2008 the new album by HANSON.

 

2008/2010:  Planet Records opens a branch office in Miami, Florida (USA). The winning strategy of the italian independent label is to offer also in North America the best Caribbean and Latin music. Just a few months from the opening of the U.S. office, Planet closes a deal with Sony BMG for the US distribution of music branded Planet Records. The first 3 CD products released in the USA immediately enter the tough American charts. Planet Records, from the beginning, is in each issue of Billboard USA Tropical Album Sales and Soundscan Digital Songs Charts, several songs are always present each week in the BDS Airplay Chart, and are also achieved two #1 iTunes U.S. Album Sales and received 2 nominations at the Latin Grammy ©. The Dominican Urban merengue, Cuban salsa, but also the reggaeton or bachata new trends, and all new musical Caribbean movements  are now promoted by "Planet Records" all over the world.

 

2011/2012: Thanks to the huge success of Omega, El Cata, Gente De Zona, Alex Matos worldwide, but also Prince Royce, Luis Enrique, Toby love, Leslie Grace, Fito Blanko for Europe, with 3 nominations at the Billboard Awards, and Latino! which reaches and exceeds 1.250.000 copies sold, Planet Records continues its success history and expands even more its physical distribution network throughout Europe, but also strengthens its presence in the digital music marketplace through direct agreements with major digital stores worldwide. In the U.S. the distribution of physical products is carried out by Selecto Hits, which is the largest independent distributor of CDs in the U.S.A.
 

2013/2014: The new Caribbean musical movements are today, more than ever, branded Planet Records , with its emergent Artists Alex Matos, Laritza Bacallao, Victor Waill, Yiyo Sarante, Amara La Negra, Don Miguelo, always in unceasing research of the main innovations of the Urban Latin movement. The label reaches countless awards through its Latin Artists: "Premio Lo Nuestro", "Premio Soberano", "Premio Lucas" and several nominations at Billboard Awards.

Planet Records reaffirms its position among the 3 strongest music labels in Tropical Music in the United States and the number one in the world: in 2013 with the compilation "Latin Hits 2013” Planet Records hits the first position on iTunes Latin and the top of Billboard in "Latin Rhythm" ranking.  Always present in the Tropical Billboard Charts, with "I Love Bachata 2013", "I Love Bachata 2014" and "Latin Hits 2014" reaches the top of the digital sales charts and with the artists Raulin Rodriguez and Chiquito Team Band, affirms its position in the Tropical Airplay ranking.

In Europe, in the meanwhile, Latino! reaches and exceeds the 1,350,000 copies sold. In Italy, Planet publishes Paolo Belli album "Sangue Blues", Skardy "Ridi Paiasso" and the latest studio album by Nicola Di Bari that after 30 years, turns back to the recording studio with a double version: "Mi Verdad" in Spanish for the American market and the Italian version “La Mia Verità". Planet Records big radio hits are Moya "Come And Get It", Honorebel "Reason To Live", Hound Dogs "She's Candy". In 2014, the label gets distributed by Warner Music on physical Cds and by Believe on digital products.


2015/2016: Planet Records is nominated for two consecutive years at the Billboard Awards as Best Record Label of the Year - Tropical Albums, fully entering into the elite of the North American music industry. In the summer of 2015 Planet Records won a platinum record for "Travesuras" by Nicky Jam and marketed the album ”Escenas De Amor" by Raulin Rodriguez and the new album by Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor "Que No Me Quiten La Fe”, which reached the top positions in the chart TROPICAL ALBUMS of Billboard and iTunes. Chiquito Team Band affirms its position in the Tropical Airplay ranking with the song ”La Llamada De Mi Ex" and “La Dura“ by Jacob Forever (former singer founder of Gente De Zona) which affirms its position in the Latin Rhythm chart, along with the new emerging Cuban talent Divan with his hit song "Pelearnos Un Ratico".

The year 2015 closes with the best-selling compilation "Latin Hits 2015 - Club Edition" reaching the first positions of the chart TROPICAL ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2015, with the hit Pitbull & Osmani Garcia "El Taxi" in the chart HOT LATIN SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015 and two titles in LATIN DIGITAL SONG OF THE YEAR 2015: Pitbull & Don Miguelo "Como Yo Le Doy" and Pitbull & Osmani Garcia "El Taxi".

 

In 2016 Planet Records receives the BMI Award for the song "Que Suenen Los Tambores" written by the author Osmany Espinosa, interpreted by the singers Victor Manuelle and Laritza Bacallao. Planet Records currently dominates the chart TROPICAL ALBUMS of Billboard with 3 titles in the first 5 positions: Latin Hits 2016 - Club Edition, Bachata 2016 Latin Hits 2015 - Club Edition.

 

(Last Updated: Jul 18th, 2017)