“We’re in the process of closing up now,” Lava Releasing Sales and Marketing Manager Bob East told XBiz. “We’ve already returned a lot of product to the producers.”
East said the timing for the company, which launched in May after a merger with Phoenix Releasing, just wasn’t right, citing a slow summer for the industry, concerns over federal 2257 record-keeping regulations and a number of deals that didn’t pan out.
Lava Releasing had been handling distribution for about 15 companies, including Club Summer Haze, Nicholas Steele Productions, Ghost Pro and Dave Pounder Productions. Miami-based Slave 2 Lust and Frenzy also produced original content for Lava.
East said several companies already have found new distribution. For example, Club Summer Haze will now be distributed by Dane Productions, which also handles Haze’s Mystery Productions line. He said Lava will do whatever it can to help producers transition to new distributors.
