Menart Records

Menart Records is a Slovenian record-label and music-services brand established in 1996 by Boštjan Menart. It began as a domestic Slovenian operation and expanded through partner companies and licensing arrangements into Croatia and Serbia, while also serving a wider Adriatic and Balkan territory that includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. The company operates across several parts of the recorded-music value chain, including artist and repertoire work, record production, physical releases, digital distribution, licensing and promotion. In Slovenia, Menart developed into one of the leading companies in popular music. Its domestic roster and catalogue have included commercially successful artists and groups such as Atomik Harmonik, Dan D, Siddharta, Tabu, Jan Plestenjak, Magnifico, Alya, Saša Lendero, Turbo Angels, Niet, Rebeka Dremelj and Kingston. These artists represent a broad popular-music portfolio rather than a single genre strategy, spanning rock, pop, dance, folk-influenced commercial music and alternative-oriented acts. The label's role has included releasing recordings and helping establish artists in the Slovenian market, where its catalogue has been associated with strong sales and radio-chart performance. Menart also built a significant Croatian operation. The Croatian label worked with and helped promote acts including The Beat Fleet, Colonia, Hladno pivo, Edo Maajka, Goran Karan, Karma, Letu štuke, Luka Nižetić, Matija Cvek, Pips, Chips & Videoclips, Lollobrigida Girls and Gustafi. This activity positioned Menart as a notable participant in the Croatian popular-music business and extended its role beyond the Slovenian domestic market. A further part of the business has been international licensing. Menart has arranged releases for selected artists outside the former Yugoslav territories, including Karma in the Czech and Slovak markets and Colonia in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia and parts of East Asia. The catalogue has also circulated through compilation releases and other licensing partners. Menart has stated or been described as holding an exclusive Sony Music licensing role for Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania, and as an official distributor for Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Edel AG. The company adopted digital distribution relatively early for its home market. In early 2008 it launched mZone.si, a download service offering Slovenian titles and, on a more limited basis, international recordings to Slovenian and overseas customers. Menart's catalogue has additionally been used in films, advertising and television. One cited example is Frenkie's song "Soundtrack," which was used in the film The Incredible Hulk. Overall, Menart Records is best understood as a regional, full-service music company combining local artist development with international catalogue licensing and distribution.

Menart Records was founded in Slovenia in 1996 by Boštjan Menart. The company initially focused on the Slovenian market, where it developed as a domestic record label and music-services provider. Its activities included releasing physical recordings, working with local artists, and building a catalogue across several popular-music styles. Over time, Menart became associated with a substantial share of the Slovenian commercial music scene and with artists who achieved strong visibility in sales and airplay charts. The company subsequently expanded its regional footprint through partner companies and label operations in Croatia and Serbia. Croatia became a particularly important market, with Menart working with a wide range of established and emerging acts. The Croatian catalogue included artists from rock, pop, dance, hip-hop and alternative music, among them The Beat Fleet, Colonia, Hladno pivo, Edo Maajka, Goran Karan, Karma, Letu štuke, Luka Nižetić, Matija Cvek, Pips, Chips & Videoclips, Lollobrigida Girls and Gustafi. In Slovenia, the company's associated catalogue included Atomik Harmonik, Dan D, Siddharta, Tabu, Jan Plestenjak, Magnifico, Alya, Saša Lendero, Turbo Angels, Niet, Rebeka Dremelj and Kingston. Menart's regional strategy also involved licensing and distribution rather than only releasing artists directly. It has been described as the exclusive Sony Music licensee for Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. It was also identified as an official distributor for Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Edel AG. These relationships gave Menart access to international repertoires while providing global companies with a local channel in Balkan markets. The label pursued overseas exposure for selected artists through licensing partners. Karma received releases in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while the group's album Seven Days was issued in China and Ukraine. Colonia recordings appeared in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and East Asia, and the album Najbolje od Svega was released in Russia. Other artists and songs were considered for further European distribution. Menart catalogue tracks also obtained exposure through compilation albums and synchronization or usage in screen and advertising media. Frenkie's song "Soundtrack," for example, was used in The Incredible Hulk. Digital distribution became part of Menart's Slovenian business in early 2008, when the company launched mZone.si. The service allowed Slovenian users, and international customers on a more limited basis, to download domestic and foreign titles. This initiative complemented the company's physical-release business and reflected the industry's transition toward online music consumption. Across its history, Menart Records has therefore combined local label work, regional market development, international licensing, distribution and digital delivery. The available reference material does not identify a later ownership change, stock-market listing or definitive corporate end date.

• 2008

  Launch of mZone.si

  [1]Menart Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Menart launches mZone.si, a download service offering Slovenian recordings and selected international titles.

• 1996

  Menart Records is founded in Slovenia

  [1]Menart Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Boštjan Menart establishes Menart Records as a Slovenian record-label company.

A regional full-service record company combining domestic artist development in Slovenia and Croatia with licensing, distribution and catalogue exploitation across the Balkans and selected international markets.

• Recorded music · 1996

  Domestic recorded-music catalogue

  Menart's core offering is its catalogue of Slovenian and Croatian recordings. The catalogue covers commercially oriented pop and dance music alongside rock, hip-hop, alternative and other popular genres. Artists associated with the catalogue include Siddharta, Dan D, Tabu, Jan Plestenjak, Magnifico, Colonia, Hladno pivo, Edo Maajka and The Beat Fleet. Releases have been issued in physical and digital forms, depending on the market and period.

• Digital music service · 2008

  mZone.si

  mZone.si was Menart's Slovenian digital-download platform, launched in early 2008. It offered domestic recordings and a more limited selection of international titles to Slovenian users and customers abroad. The service represented Menart's move into online music distribution during the transition away from an exclusively physical-release model.

• Licensed music distribution

  Sony Music licensed repertoire

  Menart has operated as the exclusive Sony Music licensee for a group of Balkan and Adriatic territories, including Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. This offering gives the company a regional distribution and licensing role for international repertoire in addition to its domestic-label activities.

• 2008

  Move into digital downloads through mZone.siProduct launch

  Background

  The recorded-music market was shifting from physical releases toward online delivery, while Menart maintained a large Slovenian domestic catalogue.

  Action taken

  Menart launched mZone.si to sell downloads of Slovenian recordings and selected foreign titles.

  Aftermath

  The launch added a digital-distribution channel to Menart's physical-release, licensing and label operations. The available material does not provide usage, revenue or later operating figures.

  Source

1. 1Menart Recordsen.wikipedia.org