TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) – AWAL, Kobalt’s indie label and label services arm, has announced that it will be opening a Toronto office early in 2019.
The announcement follows a breakout year for AWAL, which included a $150 million investment from Kobalt, the acquisition of radio promotion and music marketer In2une Music, and most recently a global alliance with Glassnote Music that saw the indie powerhouse exiting its distribution agreement with Universal Music.
AWAL’s artist roster currently includes the likes of Lauv, deadmau5, R3HAB, Tom Misch, Bruno Major, The Wombats, VÉRITÉ, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Yung Lean.
Commenting on the news, AWAL CEO, Lonny Olinick said: “In the last year, we’ve made a series of moves to strengthen our global artist services to help them thrive across the globe. As a result, the AWAL business has more than doubled. AWAL’s expansion to Canada’s number one music market reasserts our commitment to support artist and label clients globally. And we have even more planned in the coming months.”
Ron Cerrito, AWAL President, North America added: “The Canadian market is incredibly robust and diverse. Toronto is home to some of today’s biggest acts and we’re lucky to work with some independent trailblazers who have gotten their start in the city, ranging from deadmau5 to Mormor. As we grow, it’s crucial that we build out our team and have on the ground support for even more independent artists and labels.”
New hires will be made in marketing, client relations and A&R.
