[MXD Networking @ SPOT 2026] Meet Rich Thane

In the weeks leading up to SPOT Festival 2026, we’ll be introducing you to the international industry professionals who have been invited to this year’s festival by Danish artists and music companies through MXD’s new invitation pool.

Here, you can meet:

 

Name: Rich Thane
Company: Secretly Distribution
Title: Associate Director, Artist & Label Strategy
Based in: London, UK

Can you tell us a bit about the company’s history and its roster?

Founded in 1997 by independent label owners looking for a better path to market—and to build something collaborative in the process—Secretly Distribution has grown into a global digital and physical distribution company working with some of the most exciting independent labels and artists around.

Today, we support a curated roster of over 100 labels worldwide, including Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Secretly Canadian, Numero Group, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Captured Tracks, Sacred Bones Records, Asthmatic Kitty, Big Crown Records, Smalltown Supersound and DFA Records, among others.

And can you tell us a bit about the acts you personally work with at this moment?

Over the past 12 months, we’ve partnered with Jack White’s Third Man Records, the iconic Ipecac Recordings – founded by Mike Patton in the late nineties and Hayley Williams’ newly minted Post Atlantic imprint. We’ve also been building strong relationships in the Nordic region, working with Copenhagen’s Tambourhinoceros and Stockholm’s PNKSLM.

What was the moment you decided you wanted to work with music?

It’s all I’ve ever really known—music has always been my main focus. Moving into the industry felt like a natural progression, particularly through founding the UK independent platform The Line of Best Fit. From there, I’ve been fortunate to work across a range of roles in the industry, ultimately leading me to Secretly Distribution, where I joined in April 2024.

Which acts are you looking forward to seeing this year at SPOT?

One of the things I love most about SPOT is the chance to see brand new acts in incredible-sounding venues right at the very start of their careers—so discovery is always my main focus when I’m there. This year’s line-up is full of names I don’t yet know, which is exactly how I like it, so I’m looking forward to diving into the Spotify playlist and seeing what sticks.

Best show you’ve ever seen hands down? 

Impossible to answer—I’m constantly at shows and really should start keeping a diary for moments like this. One that always comes to mind is seeing The War on Drugs headline End of the Road Festival in 2015. You could really feel they were on the cusp of stepping into the big leagues, and it was incredible to witness.

More recently, highlights from the past year include Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, This Is Lorelai, Jens Lekman and The Embassy. Oh, and it would be rude not to mention Oasis’ homecoming show at Manchester’s Heaton Park last Summer.

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