Collective Digital Studio (CDS) was born out of a music management company, and with its latest announcement, the multi-channel network is hearkening back to its roots. It has signed a deal that will bring musical group Boyce Avenue into its network of creative partners.
Boyce Avenue, which consists of three brothers from Florida, has used soulful, crooning covers of popular songs to gather a large audience across an eight-year career on YouTube. Its subscriber base now totals more than 7.2 million, and it recently became one of the few channels to cross the impressive two billion views plateau.
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As Boyce Avenue has grown, it has committed itself to an independent identity. The band was partnered with major record label Universal Republic between 2010 and 2011, but the experience left a bad taste in the brothers’ mouths. “One of the happiest days for us was when we got off the label,” Boyce Avenue member Daniel Manzano told USA Today in a February 2015 interview.
Of course, being independent doesn’t preclude oneself from seeking partnerships on YouTube, and that’s where CDS–whose services include channel management and cross-platform opportunities–comes in. “We joined YouTube only two years after its launch before being a YouTube star was a thing,” said Boyce Avenue in a press release. “We knew this was a platform from which we could share our music internationally with our fans in a very direct and personal way. It’s been amazing to see how appreciative and receptive all our followers have been worldwide. We’re excited to partner with CDS, a company with a lot of experience in both the music industry and the digital media arena, to continue to provide our fans with even more videos and music and push things to a new level.”
As indie musicians, Boyce Avenue will be in good company among CDS’ ranks. Other musical YouTube stars who are partnered with the network include singer/songwriter Madilyn Bailey and indie music publication Pitchfork.
