From Backing Tracks to Billions of Streams: Our Story
- Chris Harrison
- Aug 5
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 6
When you think of successful independent music companies, you might picture record labels that began by signing bands or releasing albums. Our story took a very different appraoch back in the 1990s.
Today, we manage a vast catalogue of recordings, publish music, produce large-scale live events and operate our own professional recording studio, with our music having amassed billions of streams across digital platforms worldwide. But our story began in far humbler surroundings, with cassette tapes, local singers and a small yet incredibly important shop in Liverpool.
Take a step inside and explore the history and fast-paced changes that Ameritz has undergone to keep up with the ever changing landscape of the music industry.
From Tapes and Humble Beginnings
Our story began in the mid-1990s, at a small shop on Smithdown Road in Liverpool. From there we produced and sold high-quality backing tracks for singers, entertainers and music lovers.
At the time, karaoke and solo entertainers were thriving across pubs, clubs and venues throughout the UK and the world. It was a rapidly growing market, and we were proud to become one of the UK's leading providers of professional backing tracks.
By the end of the 1990s, our catalogue had grown to more than 5,000 professionally produced recordings. What started as a small independent venture in Liverpool had already laid the foundations for everything that would follow.
Embracing the Digital Revolution
As the music industry began shifting towards digital technology, we recognised the opportunity early.
Rather than relying solely on physical media like cassette tapes and CDs, we saw the changes happening in the digital space, so we invested heavily in online distribution and built one of the UK's earliest digital music stores. By 2004, we had completed our first MP3 download sale through our dedicated music store website, embracing downloadable music years before streaming transformed the way people listened to music.
One of the defining moments in our history came in 2005, when we became one of the first independent music companies to make our catalogue available through Apple's iTunes Store. As digital downloads transformed the way people discovered and purchased music, joining the platform gave us the opportunity to take our catalogue beyond the UK and into homes around the world. It was a landmark moment that accelerated our growth and firmly established Ameritz as an early adopter in the digital music revolution.
A Town That Lives and Breathes Music
As we continued to grow throughout the 2000s, we relocated our operations to Warrington, establishing our headquarters at Wilderspool Park and the former home of the historic Greenall's Brewery. The move represented far more than a change of address, it ultimately gave us the space to think bigger and lay the foundations for the next chapter of our story.
We're also proud to call Warrington home. The town is home to a thriving live music scene, from talented grassroots bands, venues, independent artists, producers and songwriters to renowned live festivals such as Neighbourhood Weekender, Creamfields and Warrington Music Festival, which attract music lovers from far and wide every single year.
As our ambitions grew in Warrington, so did our team numbers. What had once been a small business centred around backing tracks progressed into a fully fledged music company, bringing together producers, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, content specialists and A&R reps. For the first time, nearly every part of the creative process of producing our own music was coming together under one roof.
By the end of the decade, we'd built the team and the foundations we needed. The next step was clear, invest in a state of the art recording studio that would give our producers and artists complete freedom and take Ameritz into the next exciting era.
The Studio That Changed Everything
As our business continued to grow, we recognised that if we wanted to keep pushing boundaries, we needed to bring more of the production process in-house. We wanted our producers and artists to have access to the very best facilities in an instant, giving them complete creative freedom without the limitations of outsourcing studio time and working around chaotic schedules of external recording facilities.
With that aspiration in mind, in October 2019 we expanded into our second office at Wilderspool Park and a few months later, we built a purpose-designed professional recording studio.
More than just a recording space, it became a creative hub where ideas could be written, produced, mixed and mastered under one roof. It allowed us to take our own music from the first idea and demo through to a finished release ready for delivery, while also offering professional recording and production services to external artists and clients.
The investment in our own studio has played a key role in shaping the music we create today. By combining industry-standard facilities with the expertise of our in-house production team, we've been able to develop original music that has reached audiences around the world. One standout example is GLOANS, the new-age artist project created by our in-house producer, Jordan. The project's breakthrough track, Temple of Peace, exceeded all our expectations, earning its place on editorial and listener playlists across the globe. What began as an idea inside our Warrington studio has since gone on to surpass 10 million streams on Spotify alone, becoming one of a number of original Ameritz releases to achieve significant global success.
Since that success, we've expanded to a talented group of 11 producers, each bringing their own musical background, technical expertise and creative perspective. Collectively, our team spans an incredible range of genres, from ambient, new-age and acoustic through to dance, jazz and classical. Our producers combine years of experience with a shared passion for creating music.
Today, our studio remains at the centre of everything we do. It gives our producers who use it the freedom to innovate, our artists the support to realise their vision and our team the ability to create music to the highest possible standard.
Collaborating With Artists Around the World
As we continued to expand our in-house production capabilities, we also opened our doors to artists beyond the Ameritz team. What began with supporting local grassroots musicians soon evolved into collaborating with artists from around the world, helping to deliver their music to listeners across the world.
Over the years, we've had the privilege of working with an incredibly diverse range of musicians across our family of labels. Our catalogue includes acclaimed names such as Madeleine Peyroux, George Gallagher, Greg Foat, Luke Faulkner, Christopher Dicker and Sarah Watson, as well as popular lo-fi artists including Charlee Nguyen, Banks, Bcalm and Mondo Loops.
Spanning jazz, classical, ambient, lo-fi, electronic and beyond, our partnerships with these incredible artists reflect the diversity of our catalogue and our love of discovering and sharing incredible music, regardless of genre.
You can read more on our sub-label Mellotron at our blog post here: A New Chapter for Mellotron Begins
Our Journey Continues
Our story is one of continuous adaptation, growing alongside an industry that has transformed dramatically over the past three decades.
From producing backing track cassettes in a small Liverpool shop to operating a state-of-the-art recording studio and music label in Warrington, we have continually embraced new technologies, adapted to changing trends and expanded our team's expertise whilst remaining rooted in our passion for music.
Today, we continue to heavily invest in our own original music and draw upon the industry standard experience of our in-house teams to create music that reaches listeners across the world.
What began as a small independent venture in Liverpool, has grown into a global music company with a story of success, billions of digital streams and a passionate team dedicated to creating and delivering outstanding music. While the music industry will undoubtedly continue to evolve, so will we.
Innovation, creativity and a love of music has shaped our journey from the very beginning, and we're excited to see where the next chapter takes us!
Make sure to follow us over on our social media channels to keep up to date with everything we do!
