Power 50 - #28: Sebastian Chase

BACKGROUND CHECK

Many know Sebastian Chase not only as the founder of Metropolitan Groove Merchants (MGM) Distribution (1998), but also through Chase Records, which he established back in the '80s. He also founded rooArt and Black Yak Records (with The Whitlams’ Tim Freedman) and eventually became a partner in Phantom Records as well. Chase was honoured with the 2016 ARIA Industry Icon Award for his contributions and work within the industry over the years, also opening MGM's US offices in Nashville that same year. 

THE YEAR THAT WAS

MGM Distribution notched up 20 years in the business in 2018, also celebrating three #1 records on the ARIA Albums Chart thanks to Sheppard (Watching The Sky), John Butler Trio (Home) and Gurrumul's Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow), Gurrumul's posthumous release becoming the first Indigenous language album to top the chart. Artists on MGM's roster also collected five ARIA Awards (four thanks to Gurrumul plus Jonathan Zwartz) as well as five WAM Awards (Abbe May, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving, Stella Donnelly, Grace Barbe and Jenny Aslett from San Cisco) in 2018. Still the largest independent digital and physical distributor of Australian music in the world, opening offices in Nashville further extended MGM's reach into North America.