Kobalt’s recording company AWAL has acquired radio promotion and music marketing firm in2une Music, it was announced Thursday (June 7), further boosting its global marketing and promotion capabilities for independent artists.
Under the arrangement, in2une Music will provide services to AWAL while it continues to operate independently and serve existing and prospective clients outside of AWAL’s roster. As well, AWAL will provide resources to in2une Music with a focus on enhancing its team internationally to support greater global curation, social/digital strategy and campus/lifestyle marketing.
“Dale and his team have done an amazing job over the past ten years – their client success speaks for itself,” said Kobalt founder and CEO Willard Ahdritz in a statement. “AWAL is committed to providing the best services for our artists and this was a natural next step to bolster AWAL’s global marketing and promotion capabilities. In2une was the perfect addition.”
Since it was founded a decade ago, in2une Music has enjoyed chart success with over 400 artists, including Chance the Rapper, Diplo, Lauv, Marshmello, The Lumineers, Calvin Harris and more. The company notably worked Major Lazer’s “Lean On,” which was the first independent artist-owned and -operated song to reach No. 1.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In2une Music’s current staff, including CEO and founder Dale Connone and managing partner Ken Lucek, will continue to operate the company.
“Investing in services for independent-minded artists, managers and labels has been the number one focus for us,” said AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick in a statement. “With in2une’s unparalleled track record in radio promotion, we took an important step forward in cementing AWAL as a comprehensive alternative to the label system. The in2une team will be stronger than ever to serve existing and future clients. And AWAL artists will now have all the key services at their disposal to reach new fans around the globe, across different platforms, while owning their music and career.”
“Having worked with Kobalt and AWAL for over four years, this is a natural evolution,” added Connone. “We share the same vision for independent artists and the services business along with integrity and transparency. We look forward to contributing to the growth of in2une and AWAL as we continue to build the future model of our industry.”