About Us

A group of indie music lovers from Raleigh, NC launched Altavoz in 1994. The current owners, husband and wife team Nelson Jacobsen and Jess Sarmiento, bought the company not long after and moved it to the Washington, DC area.

In late 1999, Altavoz was distributing some pretty cool indie artists and had launched its own prototype online broadcasting station in a co-marketing agreement with Microsoft and Ibeam. By the time of the dot com crash, the Altavoz broadband streaming station had 78 thousand people streaming music each day, and Altavoz.com was getting 1.2 million hits a day.

Today, Altavoz is refocused and re-energized with a fresh outlook and expanded strategy. We go beyond the traditional distribution service offerings, merging them with out-of-the box solutions that increase visibility and promise to deliver impressive results. We’re a passionate bunch; we take risks and thrive on creativity. We can be nimble and flexible because we aren’t under the thumb of a major corporation.

The entire Altavoz staff spends each day focusing on what we do best: leveraging decades of expertise and relationships to ensure placement AND purchase of your product in any and all retail environments. The mantra “Buy Indie, Support Local” guides our retail strategy. We understand the important role retailers have in their community and the value customers and fans put on the discovery of new music at the local record shop. At the same time, we want our products to be in every place the fan demands it — so we leverage the physical placement of product with placement in digital and other platforms/channels, and ensure they reinforce each other, making it easier for artists to make their mark and earn a living.

We don’t make a move without thinking about how our actions affect our suppliers and partners — and how we can make a positive impact.  We connect artists and entertainment content producers with social causes, so when you do business with us, you are supporting good works in local communities and around the world. Our social change arm – Help Earth Foundation – directs our charitable giving. It might seem sappy, but we really do believe that collectively little things can make a big difference. And most of all, we believe that people with passion can help change the world.

Join us. We are the solid, reliable, long-term partner for retailers and suppliers.