Specialist music importer and distributor Discovery Records has been sold to a record label business which has vowed to continue to develop its niche operations.
Discovery Records was set up in Devizes in 1978 to promote record labels from France in the UK. Over the years it expanded to import discs from most Western European countries as well as working with labels in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. 
It built up a widely respected reputation as one of the UK’s most knowledgeable and efficient independent wholesale distributors of specialist music with an extensive catalogue that become available to a worldwide public through its website.
New owner Trapeze Music of Hertfordshire was formed by long-standing music industry figure John Cooper, who previously worked for global labels such as EMI, Motown and Arista. Discovery acts as a distributor for Trapeze Music’s releases, which include new artist and back catalogue titles.
Discovery typically stocks around 26,000 titles at its Devizes warehouse spanning a wide range of genres from jazz, blues and folk to world music, country, soul, reggae and classical.
The majority are CDs but it is increasingly stocking vinyl releases as the format becomes popular again with music aficionados.
The deal with Trapeze – financial details of which have not been disclosed – will allow Discovery founder and principal shareholder Mike Cox to retire.
The sale was handled by the corporate finance team at West of England chartered accountants Milsted Langdon, which has offices in Bath, Bristol, London, Taunton and Yeovil.
Milsted Langdon corporate finance partner Susannah Adams said: “This was an interesting transaction to be involved with and I’m glad that a suitable outcome was achieved and that both Mike and John are happy.”
