Marathon Entertainment (M.E.) was launched in August of 2004 by Music Industry veteran Jeff Appleton. Marathon Entertainment specializes in the adult alternative format or as it is known in the industry, AAA radio promotion and marketing as well as Americana radio. With over 20 years of experience working with some of the best labels (Atlantic,Sony,Island,Razor and Tie), and some of the biggest artists (Rolling Stones, U2, Genesis, Robert Plant to name a few) , Jeff was anxious to get out of the “Board Room” and get on the front line again. Commenting at the time, “I just felt both the desire and the need to really get back to why I loved promotion in the first place, to work closely with those artists who I really felt a connection to and were passionate about. The AAA format was the natural choice.” It was that passion and hard work that lead to Jeff and Marathon Entertainment being nominated for AAA promotion company of the year in 2008 , voted on by AAA radio stations and labels.
Prior to launching Marathon Entertainment, Jeff actually started in radio and it was that nomadic life that lead him to Buffalo, NY where his love of the Buffalo Bills began as well as his first job in record promotion with Atlantic Records. “It was in Buffalo where I not only had the good fortune of working with U2 for the first time and watching them perform in front of barely 1000 people, but working with INXS on just their 2nd show in the U.S.” It was also that year that he was named Atlantic Records Rookie Promotion Person of The Year. A few years later Jeff was named Atlantic Promotion Man of The Year, promoted to Senior Director of Rock Promotion and moved to New York City.
In 1990 Jeff was hired by Sony Music to be VP of Promotion for Sonys new label 550 Music. Three years later he was reunited with U2 and Island records as VP of Promotion and oversaw all the radio promotion around U2’s “Pop” Tour. Jeff expanded his network as VP of Promotions for both TVT and Razor and Tie, developing the radio promotion departments for both labels. Feeling confident about his history and experience in radio promotions for over a decade, Jeff made the decision to launch Marathon Entertainment in the summer of 2004.
In interview at the time about starting the new company Jeff stated, ” I want all the artists and labels to feel they have a partner, not just a hired hand. In addition to promoting their music to radio, I want to be there to help strategize with and for them, work with them on their tours, set up interviews and promotions, and be there for the long run, not the short sprint,hence the name. Marathon Entertainment…we do go the distance.”