AWAL, Kobalt’s indie label and label services arm, will add a Tronto office early in 2019. New hires will be made in marketing, client relations and A&R.
This announcement caps a big year for AWAL, including a $150 million investment from Kobalt, the acquisition of radio promotion and music marketer In2une Music along with new signings and deals including strategic partnership that saw indie powerhouse Glassnote Music move from Universal. Overall the AWAL staff doubled in 2018 and the the artist roster grew 50%.
AWAL’s roster ranges from new, breaking artists to global successes, including Lauv, deadmau5, R3HAB, Tom Misch, Bruno Major, The Wombats, VÉRITÉ, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Yung Lean.
“In the last year, we’ve made a series of moves to strengthen our global artist services to help them thrive across the globe,” said AWAL CEO, Lonny Olinick. “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.”
Feel like moving to Toronto? They’ll post positions available in the Toronto office on the Kobalt careers page.