AWAL
Independent artist and label services company for distribution and marketing, wholly owned by Sony Music Entertainment since 2021.
- Based in
- London, United Kingdom
- Website
- awal.com
AWAL, originally Artists Without A Label, is a London-headquartered artist and label services company offering distribution, marketing, sync, radio promotion, funding and analytics to independent recording artists. It operates in Nigeria among other markets, with Excel Joab leading A&R and artist development for AWAL West Africa and Ben Akinbola as Head of Growth.
AWAL is wholly owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony agreed to acquire AWAL and Kobalt Neighbouring Rights from Kobalt Music Group for $430 million in February 2021, and the deal closed on 18 May 2021. AWAL now operates as a standalone division within Sony’s independent artist and label services business, alongside The Orchard, under CEO Lonny Olinick.
AWAL’s own published deal terms state that artists retain 100% ownership of their masters and creative control, with AWAL taking a percentage of revenue that varies by service tier rather than acquiring copyright.