AWAL (short for Artists Without a Label) is a global recording business that serves as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists the resources and expertise of a global label while allowing them to retain ownership and control of their music. In 2021, Sony Music Entertainment purchased AWAL from Kobalt Music Group for $430m.
Services
AWAL's services include global marketing and creative services, A&R, playlist & radio promotion, publicity, synch and brand partnerships, and access to real-time comprehensive music data and insights. In November 2018, Billboard wrote an article titled, "Can Kobalt Disrupt the Label Game With AWAL?," outlining the company's approach and how it pays out as much as 80 percent of streaming revenue to its artists. In March 2017, AWAL introduced its music analytics app designed to collect and display data from an artist's presence on Spotify and Apple Music.
History
AWAL US was originally founded in 1997 by Denzyl Feigelson in Ojai CA, with mentorship help from founding member Andrew Ungerleider, and then joined forces in 2004 with record producers Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby. In December 2012, AWAL UK was acquired by the Kobalt Music Group and operated as the company's digital music distribution arm.
In January 2018, Lonny Olinick was named CEO of Kobalt's recording division. By March 2018, Kobalt announced it was investing $150 million into AWAL and that all of Kobalt's recording business would be combined under the AWAL brand. AWAL acquired In2une Music in June 2018, which provides multi-format radio promotion to independent labels and artists. AWAL announced a strategic partnership with independent label, Glassnote Records, in November 2018. Other notable announcements from the company include signing artists such as Steve Lacy, Finneas, Little Simz, girl in red, deadmau5, JVKE, Jungle, Disclosure, Rex Orange County, Tom Misch, and Laufey.
In November 2018, AWAL was named to Billboard's 2018 Digital Power Players - Music Groups list. In April 2023, AWAL was named to Billboard's 2023 International Power Players list. Later that year, Billboard named AWAL's Lonny Olinick, Pete Giberga, and Paul Hitchman to their 2023 Indie Power Players list.
AWAL has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City, Madrid, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Paris and Toronto.
On September 7, 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority, the United Kingdom's antitrust regulator, raised concerns that Sony's purchase of AWAL would reduce competition from other distributors. The CMA gave Sony and AWAL five days to address the CMA's concerns and offer legally binding remedies, or else the CMA would enter a Phase 2 investigation. The phase two investigation was launched on September 16, 2021. Following a consultation that ended March 4, 2022, the CMA officially cleared the deal on March 16, 2022.
Artists
Aly & AJ
Alaina Castillo
A$AP TyY
Banks
Ber
Bruno Major
Claudia Alende
CMAT
Dayglow
Daði Freyr
De La Soul
deadmau5 / Kx5
Die Antwoord
DijahSB
Disclosure
Esprit D'Air
Everything Everything
The Aubreys
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Gabrielle Aplin
Girl in Red
Greyson Chance
Gus Dapperton
Jae Jin
Jesse McCartney
JPEGMAFIA
Joshua Morata
Jungle
JVKE
iamamiwhoami
ionnalee
Katelyn Tarver
Kira Kosarin
Kyle Dion
Laufey
Laura Marling
Lauren Jauregui
Lauv
Lil Peep
Lisa Heller
Little Simz
Lizzy McAlpine
Lovejoy
Maddie Zahm
Maximum Love
Moby
mxmtoon
Naked Eyes
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Now United
Pouya
Quadeca
R3HAB
Rex Orange County
Rickie Lee Jones
Sarah Crean
SBTRKT
Spacey Jane
Steve Lacy
The Kooks
The Night Café
The Wombats
Thom Yorke
Todd Terje
Tom Misch
Vérité
Wasia Project
You Me at Six
Young The Giant
Yung Bans
Kris T Reeder
Zolita
Record labels
Glassnote Records
mau5trap
Good Soldier Songs
Nickelodeon Records
B-Unique Records
SideOneDummy Records
World in Red (personal label for Girl in Red) Very Nice Records Chess Club Records Bright Antenna Records