AWAL has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with independent label SideOne Dummy Records.
The deal will see AWAL’s marketing, A&R, promotion, distribution, and licensing expertise applied to SideOne Dummy’s current roster and catalog. The deal is a nice coup for AWAL, now wholly-owned by Kobalt Music Group.
AWAL chief executive Lonny Olinick applauded the indie cred at SideOne. “Whether working in punk, indie rock, or with singer-songwriters, their team has created an artist-friendly label focused on true artist development,” Olinick relayed.
“They have bold ambitions to expand SideOneDummy.”
First established in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, the label underwent a significant restructuring in 2018. Thankfully, the lights remained on at SideOne Dummy, a label that has propelled the careers of artists like Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, The Gaslight Anthem, and Title Fight.
SideOne’s current roster includes Rozwell Kid, Nahko and the Medicine People, and Xavier Rudd. The label’s Warped tour compilation album debuted in 1998 and releases each year.
Armstrong pointed to a strong connection with Olinick. “Lonny, combined with how much he knows and understands our company culture made AWAL the natural next step into the future for SideOneDummy,” Armstrong stated. “The evolution of the music business has been dramatic in recent years, and Kobalt is leading the charge, we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
As part of the AWAL model, partners typically get to keep 100% ownership of their music. That’s the case in this deal, which is focused heavily on label services instead of IP ownership.
AWAL also skips any upfront fees, only charging a 15% share of revenue generated.