My Sabbaticle begins Nov 1

In a note sent to my staff at ADA today, I announced my sabbatical. Eight months to devote to long range cruising.

Dear Colleagues:

Beginning November 1st, I will be taking an eight-month leave of absence from ADA. I know this may come as a surprise to many of you and at the same time be not-so-surprising to others, but I wanted to make sure our company was prepared for this temporary transition before I made it official.

First of all, let me say that as far as our business is concerned, the timing for this couldn't be better. As you are well aware, we have the privilege of serving the best independent labels in the industry. This fact combined with your incredible work has led ADA to its current position: we are the No. 1 independent distributor in the U.S.; we currently have the highest market share in our history; our company has become the model of how independent distribution should be run, and; we are positioned for a new level of growth and expansion that will solidify our standing as the industry leader in physical and digital distribution.

In my absence, ADA's operations will continue to be led by Mitch Wolk, Michael Black, David Orleans and Keith Wood, much as they have been doing for the past year. Were it not a fact that ADA has such incredible executive talent on hand I would never have the opportunity to take this time off. I suspect that as much as I really wish to be missed while I am gone, I am sure some of you may have already forgotten I was here.

The natural question, of course, is what am I doing? Fortunately (or unfortunately) it is nothing controversial or headline grabbing, it is just the chance to pursue something that has been a lifelong dream of mine. I have been working in the music industry since I was in college and have never taken more than one week off at a time. With this day in mind, I have spent the last couple years having a 37-foot boat built (called a "trawler") and after many fits and starts, it is finally seaworthy. I will be sailing the length of the East Coast, from New Jersey to Florida, a challenging journey that I want to do while I can still move around without a cane and chew without dentures. This is not a retirement ploy, trust me. In fact, thanks to modern communications I'll be on Blackberry and will have a cell phone with me, so I'll be in contact if I am needed. I'll also be sharing my experiences through a blog (http://www.seadee.com), and look forward to your comments and thoughts as I go.

While uncommon for us in America, this kind of leave is a time-honored tradition in much of the world and I just decided to adopt it as my own. Besides, the experiences I will have at sea and the challenges I will face during this time away will surely serve to make a better - and hopefully more tanned - executive when I return. I will be spending the time recharging my batteries as well as thinking about the future of independent music in the digital age and how to help grow ADA's footprint around the world and continue to provide our labels with the finest services available in the fast-changing industry.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude to Edgar, Lyor, and Espo for allowing me this time to chase my dream. It is extremely unusual to make this kind of request in our society and even more unusual when a company allows it. I do not take that for granted for one moment.

I'll be here for one more month, so no need to get sentimental (yet). But believe me, the only down side I see to this mini-adventure is that I won’t get to see all your wonderful faces each day. I will truly miss each and every one of you during my time away, but before you know it, I’ll be back and full of ideas and energy.

If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to email me directly.

Sincerely,

Andy