Photo Credit: Babel Ops

Secretly Distribution acquires Entertainment Intelligence and Babel Ops, which develop bespoke data and analytics tools for the independent sector.

Secretly Distribution (SD) has announced its acquisition of Babel Ops, the technology firm responsible for Entertainment Intelligence (Ei) as well as bespoke data and analytics tools for a myriad of music business clients in the independent sector.

Ei, a Techstars alum, was founded in 2014 by music executive Erik Gilbert and IT leader Greg Delaney, who went on to found Babel Ops together in 2020. Today, Enterlytics by Ei powers reporting for over 1.2 million artists across 55,000-plus labels, empowering independent music businesses with both up-to-the-minute data visibility and in-depth analytics.

Gilbert and Delaney, along with Babel Ops General Manager Phil Birch and Lead Developer Ryan Berry, lead a team of ten developers in building solutions for music businesses. Specifically, the company focuses on businesses dealing with large datasets, whether supporting catalog management, data analytics, royalty processing, or similar functions.

Babel Ops has enjoyed a long relationship building systems for Secretly Distribution, including creating its bespoke repertoire management system RIOT, alongside SD Head of Digital Operations, Kristian Downs. In addition to SD, Ei also counts Partisan Records, Reservoir Media, Secret City, MNRK, Exceleration, and other key independent sector labels and businesses among its clients. Beyond Secretly, Babel Ops counts Cargo Independent Distribution and Concord among its development clients.

Under SD’s ownership, Babel Ops will continue to create solutions for these and other independent music businesses. Joining them under the new arrangement will be longtime Secretly database administrators Ember Wyrdt and Reggie Provine, who have already worked closely with Babel Ops on several development projects.

“We believe independence is something you actively build and protect, not something you inherit. Babel Ops and Ei were created to give independent music companies the technological strength to operate, grow, and innovate on their own terms, especially as the industry consolidates,” said Greg Delaney and Erik Gilbert, Founder, Babel Ops.

“What drew us to Secretly is a genuinely shared ethos: a belief that independence should be supported and strengthened, not absorbed into dominant systems. They’re not just a partner, but a kindred spirit and a natural extension of what we’ve been building. At a time when fewer companies control more of the infrastructure, there is no better partner to help ensure independents have the tools to compete,” they added.

“The music industry is moving into a new era of market concentration and algorithmic control. Now, more than ever, if you want to stay independent—and help others stay independent—you must vigorously protect your ability to do business on your own terms, according to your own values. It’s not enough to safeguard independent routes to market; you must have access to market-leading technology that enables you to compete against the largest companies,” said Darius Van Arman, CEO, Secretly Distribution. “We believe that the best way to secure our own independence is to support the independence of others.”