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Search Results for: salsa

Vicente “Little Johnny” Rivero Conguero, Percussionist, Producer, Composer and Band Leader

“Tell me your name in leather, Little Johnny, Little Johnny” Hard Strike.

Conguero, percussionist, producer, composer, and conductor, Little Johnny Rivero has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific.

Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Rivero was attracted to Latin jazz and the sounds and rhythms of the New York area rumberos as a child.

At age 10, Johnny began practicing percussion and joined his school band.

Conguero, percussionist, producer, composer and bandleader, Little Johnny Rivero has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the South Pacific.
“Tell me your name in leather, Little Johnny, Little Johnny.”

Shortly thereafter, he took dance lessons, which eventually led him to stage performances with the bands of the time at such famous venues as the Manhattan Center, Colgate Garden, Copacabana, and the Palladium.

At age 14, Rivero joined Orquesta Colón, the youngest Latin band in New York City, and recorded two albums with them.

Shortly thereafter, he took dance classes, which eventually led him to perform on stage with the bands of the time in such famous venues as the Manhattan Center, Colgate Garden, Copacabana, and the Palladium.

In 1973, Rivero moved to Puerto Rico with his parents and joined Sonora Ponceña in 1974.

After playing bongos with them for a year and a half, he switched to congas, which rekindled the love he had for the instrument as a child.

Rivero attributes the rhythms and professional direction he learned from Quique Lucca and his son, Papo Lucca, as qualities that have made him what he is today.

During the 16 years that Rivero played with La Sonora Ponceña, he traveled all over the world and made 18 highly respected albums with them.

Rivero has recorded with producers such as Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, and Dr. Lonnie Smith.

In May 1997, Rivero shared the stage with his inspiration and idol, José Mangual. Rivero’s credits also include work with Charlie Palmieri, Dave Valentín, Rubén Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Andy Montanez, Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray Barretto, Patato Valdez, Changito, Tata Guines, John Santos, Sergio George, Bebo Valdes, Paquito D’Rivera, Tito Puente, and many other artists.

Rivero’s first solo effort, “Pasos Gigantes,” was well-received by critics and music fans.

He wrote and produced all the songs on that CD, showing off his skills as an arranger and musician.

He is currently working on his next CD, “Music in Me”, his first Latin Jazz album, which will include musicians, Brian Lynch on trumpet, Zaccai Curtis on piano and keyboards, Luques Curtis on bass, Louis Founche on saxophone, Andrei Matorin on violin, Ludwig Alfonso on drums, and Anthony Carrillo on bongo and bata drums.

Currently, Rivero is traveling internationally with Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri.

He also continues to record in-studio sessions and perform with many of the most respected acts in Latin music, including his own band.

Percussionist Johnny Rivero presents the album "Golpe Duro", with his band El Cartel de Nueva York.
Percussionist Johnny Rivero presents the album “Golpe Duro”, with his band El Cartel de Nueva York.

Legendary conguero, percussionist, producer, composer and bandleader Little Johnny Rivero is proud to present his latest album, Golpe Duro, with Anthony Almonte.

From New York and after moving to Puerto Rico, he spent sixteen years with the Sonora Ponceña band and recorded eighteen highly respected albums.

He has played with many of the biggest and most respected names in Latin music, including nine-time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri.

During that same time, Little Johnny formed his salsa band and his Latin jazz band and continued to teach percussion at Kennedy High School in the Bronx, NY. It was there that Anthony Almonte, a high school student at the time, would become one of his music students.

Little Johnny has always had a passion for writing music and over the course of four years since his last album, he was inspired to write once again. He set out to create a danceable album that would highlight the roots of Son Montuno, Guaracha Mambo, and Latin jazz.

The only thing missing was a singer. In a rehearsal, his friend and colleague Jeffery Lopez mentioned that there was a talented “new guy” on the block. He came down, and here he was, Anthony Almonte from Kennedy HS. As they say “the rest is history” and the result of their collaboration is Little Johnny’s latest album, Golpe Duro.

Website: Little Johnny Rivero

Article of Interest: Eddie Palmieri: A Memorable Career

Europe – September 2021

Estandarte morado y rosa con el logo actual de AWAL

Banner rojo y negro con el logo actual de Kobalt

Estandarte mostaza y blanco con la imagen del taller Alocubano Salsa Festival

Yma America “We have done a good job, making our Music and Latin Culture known”

“Every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much”.

She reaffirms that; We have done a good job, making our music and Latin culture known.

It is indisputable the mark that many Venezuelan artists who have decided to settle abroad leave on their way around the world, because they are distinguished by their achievements and place the name of Venezuela in great, making their fellow citizens feel proud of their successes, such is the case of Yma America Martinez, born in Caracas and based in Germany for almost 30 years.

With a musical vein that she inherited from her parents who, she points out, were the fundamental pillar in her formation and career, and why not, for having grown up in one of the most musical parishes of Caracas, the San Agustin del Sur neighborhood, Marin sector, from where great characters have emerged including her uncle, the choreographer and dancer Carlos Enrique Orta (+), who toured with his dance company Coreoarte great stages around the world.

His musical beginnings were with a group created by his father “Los Azulitos Juveniles” where he sang aguinaldos with his sisters and neighbors, to later join the San Agustin Choir at the Don Pedro School “Fe y Alegria”. She received her academic preparation at the “José Ángel Lamas” Music School and at the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra, to continue her cello studies in Paris at the “Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris” and singing and composition at the CODARTS of the World Conservatory of Music in Rotterdam.

It reaffirms that; We have done a good job, making our music and Latin culture known.
Yma America “Every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much.”

Yma America is a singer, musician, composer, arranger, plays the cello and the cuatro. Her clear and powerful voice makes her very sought after throughout Europe. She has worked with different groups; Kimbiza, Latin Sampling, Francisco Zumaqué, Conexión Latina, Mirta & The Goalgetters, Dúo Ymaya, Cubop City Big Band, among others. He has participated in major jazz and classical music festivals such as the Ruhr Guitar Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the RuhrTriennale, the MusikTriennale Köln, and the Elblandfestspiele. In 2004 her perseverance made her the winner of the international competition “Voice and Guitar” in Saarbrücken-Germany, where she won the first prize together with the Colombian guitarist Andrés Mendoza Villamil.

Another relevant fact in the life of this artist can be seen in the song “Juégalo”, a song she composed and sang for the Bacardi company commercial, which became a hit in the summer of 1998 and 2000. He participated in the musical “King of The Lions”, with WDR Big Band in the main role of the Lilipuz children’s concert “Die schlaue Mama Sambona”; and has performed more than 30 times with the production “Adventure Weltumrundung” of the Fly & Help Foundation.

She has on her shoulders the responsibility of a great project that she is carrying in Germany and wishes to realize in her native country, making music with percussion for deaf people called “FEEL SOUNDS”, because of this proposal in 2010 she was awarded with the Disability Policy of the Innovation Prize of Cologne (KIB).

She assures us that; “The language of music is the same all over the planet”, with this phrase we enter to discover the virtues, dreams, and desires of the interviewee.

How does Yma America define herself?

“It is not easy to answer this, but I think I am a very patient and calm person, too much I would say. I don’t give myself a bad life, fortunately, I have done what I have wanted and desired, thanks to the support of my parents and family in general.” “I am a character to whom, thank the god’s things and opportunities have been offered to me, some I have taken advantage of, others not, there are some which I have not realized in time that they have been there waiting for me and I have lost them. But I can say that I have lived my life, with the ups and downs, good and bad, without involving anyone and that is how I have been leading it and learning”.

Yma America is a singer, musician, composer, arranger, plays the cello and the cuatro.
His musical beginnings were with a group created by his father “Los Azulitos Juveniles”.

Part of his training was obtained through the “José Ángel Lamas” Conservatory of Music and the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra. What do you thank them for and how do you give back your training with them?

“I thank them for part of my training as a musician than I am, because the other part I owe to my family and my people where I come from.” “-Give back-“, I think that every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much”.

What do you think of the phrase “No one is a prophet in his own land”?

“-I honestly don’t know what it means-“. “I don’t think I would have started singing professionally if I had stayed in Venezuela. I played cello in the National and Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, I played and substituted for the cellists in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela and in the Municipal Orchestra of Caracas, I sang solo at every party and family celebration, and in reality, I was very quiet at home”.

“I don’t think I am a “prophet” where I am, I always do the best I can and people value it and many times also criticize it, of course”.

Why did you choose Germany and not another Latin American country? How many years have you been living in Cologne?

“I left Caracas in 1986 for Paris-France, thanks to the fact that my grandmother worked for a wealthy family and they offered to help a relative to study abroad, specifically in France because they had relatives there. First, my uncle Carlos Enrique Orta, a choreographer-dancer with a long international career, went many years before, and then I wanted to “take him up on it” after a while”.

“Actually I wanted to study cello for 1 year in Paris and return to Venezuela, but when I finished my 1st year of study at the “Ècole Normale de Musique de Paris”, they offered me to stay and I didn’t refuse. The last year of studies in Paris I didn’t have much money to live and in Köln-Germany lived the musicians of COREOARTE (a Dance Company created by my uncle Carlos Enrique Orta with dancers and musicians from San Agustin), at that time I went every weekend, on Fridays after classes, from Paris to Köln and I returned on Mondays at 6 am and arrived directly to classes in the afternoon, I did that because we played; Renis Mendoza, Felipe “Mandingo” Rengifo, Charles Peñalver, Orlando “El Diablo” Blanco and me in the street to collect a little money and cheer up the streets and faces of the Germans, and with that I could buy food for the whole week in Paris until the following Friday when I returned to Köln. … and so on for many months until when I finished my studies, I decided to move to Köln and the first months I lived with Renis Mendoza who shared his apartment with another boy from Corporate and then I got my room sharing an apartment with a German girl”.

Part of his training was obtained through the "José Ángel Lamas" Conservatory of Music and the "Simón Bolívar" National and Youth Orchestra.
Part of his training was obtained through the “José Ángel Lamas” Conservatory of Music and the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra.

“I lived first in Paris from 1986 until 1990, 4 years and from 1990 until today in Köln, next year I will be 30 years based in Germany, I say “I have my bed in Köln”, because in reality I am almost never at home, thanks to music and life that has given me so much.”

“I never thought, nor have I ever imagined living in another Latin American country, I think that from here, I’m going home… To Venezuela!”.

How has the German public been receptive to Latin rhythms, has there been no resistance?

“At this moment there is a stagnation in the development of activities with Latin music, but in the same way there is more and more receptivity, I know we have done a good job, making known our music and Latin culture, there are several Salsa bands with German musicians, there are more and more dancers, more dance classes, many have understood the message and others interpret it to their wave but there is much atmosphere and places with Latin music, with Dj of Salsa-Merengue and the crap they call Reggaeton music”.

“I must say that some years ago there were more Salsa orchestras with German musicians and there were more Salsa Festivals that unfortunately has been reduced by the phenomenon “Salsa Dj” I think and I’m almost sure, because it is cheaper and people dance the same. That has done a lot of damage to live music”.

What memories do you have of being under the baton of these great maestros Abreu, Aldermaro Romero, Carlos Riazuelo and Yehudi Menuhin?

“I don’t really remember at the moment any particular experience or directly with them. Although I had more contact with maestro José Antonio Abreu, the experience was the same as with many of the members of the ONJV.   But of all of them I was always struck by the confidence with which they could dominate and control the number of musicians that an orchestra has and above all that in classical style and pieces the feeling that is transmitted is that of the conductor and not that of the musician or the performer. Of course, they were wonderful experiences”.

How many compositions have you made?

“Honestly, not many, approximately 12 but that have been arranged, played and recorded, only 4.”

Your parents have been promoters of your career, what do you thank them for?

-Chacha!

“My parents are the reason for my profession, it is from them that this Yma America that you are interviewing for my work has come out. Thanks to their way of being, to their offspring, to their education, I thank them for what I am and what I have done… My life”.

Are you still constantly growing, what anecdotes do you have from your time at the “Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris” and the “Conservatoire de Musique du Monde”?

 

“In Paris, I think, having to change the mentality of learning everything little by little and without haste in Venezuela, to the need to put my batteries because here they do not wait, you have to give it hard and meet daily, plus that prompted me to learn French faster”. “And in Holland to go from being a student to being the singer of the Cubop City Big Band of the conservatory Prof. Martin Verdonk (percussion), Leslie Lopez (bassist) and directed by Prof. Lucas van Merkwijk drums that was strong, especially at the beginning that was to understand how they interpreted Latin music that is something other than Latin Jazz, then we started with Mambo de una, and as Leslie Lopez was the bassist of Puerto Rico there was a balance and there we were learning and getting experiences all equally”.

Working with Lucas and with those wonderful musicians, people with an extraordinary musical level, is very relaxed, zero stress, we have all learned there, the failures and successes have gone hand in hand with everyone.
She works alongside Dutch percussionist and producer Lucas Van Merwijk and is the lead singer of the successful “Cubop City Bing Band”.

How does it feel to work alongside Dutch percussionist and producer Lucas Van Merwijk and to be the lead singer of the successful “Cubop City Bing Band”?

-It’s great!

“Working with Lucas and those wonderful musicians, people with an extraordinary musical level, is very relaxed, zero stress, we have all learned there, the failures and successes have gone hand in hand with everyone. Next year (2020), with CUBOP CITY Big Band we will celebrate 25 years together and for sure something good will be done, something wonderful is being cooked, with the maestro Edy Martinez -pianist, composer and Colombian arranger-, of course, also thanks to Lucas’ wife, Roosje who does a great job, she is the organizer/manager of that crowd and of all the tours”.

Have you surrounded yourself and trained with musicians that due to their quality and trajectory are considered the best, what do you think you have yet to do?

“I have done and learned many things in life, both personally and musically, I think and I know that I still have a lot to do and to learn”.

Hasn’t the language been an obstacle?

“No, musically speaking, no, the language of music is the same all over the planet.”  “The French language I had to learn quickly because I came from Venezuela directly to the Conservatory of music, in Holland the classes are in English and I did not have to learn Dutch and the German language has been strong in other daily situations or life in general.”

In which festivals have you participated both in Europe and Venezuela?

-I can’t tell you exactly how many, but in these 30 years living in Germany and making music professionally there have been many, in almost all of Europe”.

You have a project with deaf people in Germany, which we hope can also be realized in Venezuela. Tell us about this musical project and why did you decide to make this the theme?

“TO FEEL – SOUNDS, but as a proper name I named it “FEEL SOUNDS” in view of the fact that the sense of touch is much more developed in deaf people and my work is based on making music with percussion, so the vibration of the sound is what they feel.”

Gestern abend war sehr schön !!! Yma America and Marco Antonio Sanchez Ramirez
Gestern abend war sehr schön !!! Yma America and Marco Antonio Sanchez Ramirez

“It is a project that I have had in mind for many, many years, exactly 1980, when I was studying “Hotel and Tourism Administration” at the University College of Caracas and doing field work in San Jose de Rio Chico, at the end of my activity and visiting people, they made me a party, drums and fulias until dawn, they were 5 drummers, the father and 4 children and at the end the father tells me that one of them was deaf. And the young man played very well, I never imagined that he could be deaf, he played perfectly and we even danced salsa. And from there I had the idea of working and teaching percussion to the deaf.”

“After all that time, in one of those twists and turns of life, I had courage and started to study “German Sign Language” and planned my workshops, I went to the deaf schools in Köln, many percussionist friends helped me, Renis lent me his drums and plays with us every presentation at the end of the workshops, other friends lent me their rehearsal room to give the classes, my Sign Language teacher supported me looking for money to keep going. … and so, this year I celebrate 10 years of having developed it here in Germany and the experience has been wonderful, every day I learn more and more of this world that I can not imagine, but to see the face of everyone when they feel the vibration of the sound when playing a drum, even hearing people, people without hearing problems, that feeling is unique, fascinating!

Working with children and adults with special conditions is a great challenge, how does it feel to see this experience become a reality?

“I have already been invited to several cities in Germany, Holland and Poland and I want to continue doing it, take it to my country and fulfill my desire to develop it there, carry it out, execute it and make it known in my Venezuela. Although several years ago I attended a conference held by FEVENSOR Federation of the Deaf of Venezuela, with the assistance of several Latin American countries, Spain and Australia, I made an exhibition and presentation of several young deaf people who attended, with the participation and collaboration of Naifer Hernandez and Juan Carlos “El Indio” Betancourt percussionists of San Agustin / Marin, but everything stayed there. Of course I must always be present to be able to move forward, that’s how it is. I lack the economic support because the program, the project, the subjects, the desire, the yearning and the yearnings are already there, but I keep moving and insisting, searching and “curucuteando” until I find the proper support”.

What new projects are on the way?

“We recently started a new Latin American Music Trio project, let’s say from Mexico to Argentina, with Prof. Thomas Böttcher, German pianist, Renis Mendoza, Venezuelan percussionist, also from San Agustín/Marín and me singing and playing Violoncello, we are in the preparations, making videos, propaganda, looking for a program and composing, also in conversations and looking for an agency to sell it and take it forward. The 25th anniversary of Cubop City Big band next year, finish looking for the musical program for those celebration concerts.”

“Continue with my musical project “FEEL SOUNDS”, giving my classes and music workshops to groups of deaf children, youth and adults and from January I start to give talks about this new proposal to students of “Special Education and Pedagogy” to continue moving forward with this and take it forward until I get to Venezuela and the whole world.”

What does St. Augustine Parish mean to you?

“It is the neighborhood where I was born, there is all my childhood and adolescence, I love and respect its inhabitants very much, besides my family whom I love with all my being, there have always been many valuable people there and that multiplies more and more, thanks to the work that artists have been doing and all that educated and fighting generation that lives and has always maintained that contact of training and information with the new generations. San Agustín is the good people who live there, the rest is everywhere on the planet”.

 Venezuela in one word?

 “-MUSIC-” in capital letters.

Facebook: Yma América

By: Eiling Blanco Correspondent in Venezuela

Article of Interest: Renis Mendoza “San Agustín is like a continent and Marín is its capital”.

What do you know about Kobalt?

The Alternative To Record Labels

Willard Ahdritz dressed in black sitting on a red chair
Kobalt Music Group was founded by Swede Willard Ahdritz in New York City 21 years ago (2000)

Kobalt is a state-of-the-art music company that presents an alternative to the traditional business model. This world-leading company serves as the leading independent music publisher today offering transparency and further leverage to the rights of artists, songwriters, and publishers.

Kobalt currently represents on average more than 40% of the top 100 songs and albums in the UK and the US. Among the Hispanic artists signed by this company are Enrique Iglesias (Spain), Ozuna (Puerto Rico), Karol G (Colombia), Natti Natasha (Dominican Republic), and the most recent one signed on July 19th, the Urban Composer / Producer Daniel Echavarria Oviedo (Colombia), better known as Ovy On The Drums, creator of great hits like Tusa (Karol G & Nicki Minaj), Ahora Me Llama (Karol G & Bad Bunny), Fútbol y Rumba (Anuel AA & Enrique Iglesias), Miedito O Qué (Karol G & Danny Ocean), and Sigo Buscándote (Mau & Ricky), among others.

Kobalt Music Group, Ltd. (Kobalt) has offices in the main cities of America, Europe, and Asia: London, Berlin, Sydney, Stockholm, Hong Kong, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles, also manages more than 200,000 copyrights on behalf of more than 1,200 content holders, including the most celebrated composers, artists, and other music publishers.

This global technology platform from Kobalt (Ktech) innovatively tracks and collects royalties through the trillions of micropayments that streaming provides. Among the many services that they provide include brand and sync partnerships, global license management, online copyright management & use rights tracking, royalty collection and processing (website and App) with weekly online balances, monetization of YouTube, plus creative services, digital collections, and trailers for writers, publishers, musicians, and other rights holders.

  • You Can Also Read: The Business Of The Artists

How Does Kobalt Achieve Transparency?

Kobalt banner with red background
With AMRA you own your songs, keep 100% of your copyrights, have flexible online previews at your convenience, and you are free of ties

Through a global digital collection company called AMRA (American Music Rights Association – Original Name), belonging to Kobalt Music Group, but operated separated from the company. This organism began its operations in June 2015 and is the world’s first society based on technology and trust.

AMRA was designed for today’s artists and takes a straightforward, global approach to license agreement as well as digital collection and management using the advanced rights management platform, KTech, that leverages data and tracking technologies to gain insight into a valuable revenue stream with detailed reports for your clients. This optimized model allows increased efficiency by combating the margin of uncertainty, delay, and continuous errors existing in the traditional system.

I give you an example: Currently, leading digital music platforms are global companies (Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and many more), but the traditional music industry collects their income locally and regionally. It creates an increasingly complex and fragmented collection process that causes unnecessary delays and inaccurate transmission reports that occur frequently.

AMRA works with flexible contracts, without complicated distribution rules, nor policies that discriminate or reward certain members over the artist. Most of the income is attributed to the client minus a commission absorbed by the company.

For publishers and composers, this means total clarity on the terms of the deal with complete information on all royalties collected. The association does not charge additional monthly fees or surcharges and is responsible for distributing all unattributed income.

Willard Ahdritz (Founder and CEO of Kobalt) assures that with the arrival of streaming, independent artists of medium projection level acquire most of the income of the industry through the alternative to record companies, Kobalt, what was not done before in the big record labels, who for decades denied these resources to international music figures.

“If you have $ 100k ($ 100,000) and you control your rights, the value of the masters is one million dollars in terms of the salable value of your rights.”

Willard Ahdritz

Are You An Independent Artist?

AWAL Could Be Your Option

Concert with people raising arms with light blue background
Kobalt Label Services (KLS) acquired the digital distributor AWAL in December 2011.

AWAL is a digital distribution company that guarantees independent emerging musicians a greater presence in all major

AWAL works with three modalities adapted with agreements to three different styles of artists: AWAL Core, AWAL+, and AWAL Recordings.

AWAL Core: This modality is created for independent artists with a career. Each musician takes home most of his income (85%), remains in control of his creations, has built a community, contributes information on his story in interesting ways, and bypasses long-term contracts. In summary, AWAL Core is for influencers in music who reach notoriety such as: “The TikTok cover exceeds 250,000 visits in 10 days” or “Reaches 100,000 monthly broadcasts on Spotify”.

By entering this mode you have the following support from the distributor:

  • Distribution: They are responsible for providing the material to the world’s main stores and digital providers (DSP – Digital Service Providers
  • Multiplatform Streaming Statistics (AWAL Analytics): Convert real-time streams into insights with proper skip rate analysis for plays, completions, playlist history, and much more using a complete and advanced music streaming platform.
  • A&R Discovery and Upstream: The multidisciplinary team assigned by creative artists and repertoire, monitors and finds constant opportunities to help them continue to climb more ground in various interesting ways in the musical field and in this way continue to attract attention on multiple platforms.
Multiple albums in red, blue, and black colors
AWAL stands for Artists Without A Label

AWAL+: In this category is a smaller group of artists that the company believes are on the brink of fame. Two examples of musical milestones found in this line are: “Debut EP Sensitive exceeds 30 million streams” or “Naika achieves high-profile sync placements in global Apple and FIFA ads”.

Generally, the method of entry into AWAL+ is through a lawyer or manager.

Once a member of this category, the artist will have a more personalized strategy with a combination of services:

  • Label Management: Designed to perfect the campaign strategy and ensure that the musician is always aware of the news and better options to promote his creations.
  • Funds: Includes project financing. When the company considers that the creative has enough force, they will contribute funds to materialize the project. However, the artist controls the destination of the budget after the campaign strategy made by the company.
  • Synchronization and DSP compatibility: This service offers synchronization and playlist promotion, that is, the global AWAL team will look for the best opportunities to put music in playlists on major digital platforms, as well as on movies, TV, commercials, feature film trailers, and other areas where he/she can reach a milestone and get more exposure.
AWAL logo in Pink, Violet and Cream color
Dozens of AWAL artists earn over $ 1Million Streaming every year (2020 Figures)

AWAL Recordings: In this last stage the singer can make his album with the company’s record label under his terms, but for whom is this benefit made? For all those artists who are constantly on the rise on the different digital platforms. As a sample, I leave you these two headlines of production and a musician for reference: “Gray Area wins the nomination for the Mercury Award, NME Award for Best British Album, and Ivor Novello for Album of the Year” and “Girl in Red gets one billion views before releasing her debut album”.

The Services of this stage are:

  • Financing Plus: Here the singer-songwriter must approve the budget for marketing. She/he maintains creative control and 100% of her/his copyright. Likewise, AWAL will take a percentage of the income that depends on the contract by mutual agreement, but they ensure that the artist obtains the majority percentage.
  • Global Marketing: The Company’s global marketing team will guide everything from digital campaigns to brand collaborations, social implementations, and whatever is necessary to propel the project towards the top of the popularity charts of all digital platforms.
  • A&R and Global Promotion: With this service, you will be able to maximize the dissemination of the project by making use of partners and commercial places with greater relevance, advertisements on music platforms such as Apple, be part of the best charts, and be on the programming grid of the best 40 radio stations.

You Can Also Read: What do you know about Kobalt?

How Can You Become An AWAL Member?

Cold War Kids at night concert
American band Cold War Kids is a member of AWAL

In August 2020, the distribution company announced that many of its artists were earning more than $ 100,000 per year per streaming, which is equivalent to an increase of 40% compared to 2018.

On February 1st of this year, AWAL

To become a member of this company, you must be selected by the differently trained professionals who are in charge of choosing them according to the following characteristics:

  • Quality: You must have a mixture of three skills: exponential Creativity, maximum Originality, and overflowing Talent.
  • Fans participation: A good base of engaged fans is essential because the number of transmissions on platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Soundcloud will be quantified with the number of followers and subscribers. They will also analyze the number of fans on associated Social Networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. In addition, they will be attentive to musicians with successes in live presentations and tours that confirm the power of a massive convocation.
  • Breaking the Noise: Each artist must be proactive and create press headlines as well as comments on blogs and music magazines to break the noise of the 20,000 new recordings that Spotify adds daily and be part of the hard-working replacement generation to make his name known.
  • Support Team: You must have among other work relationships: Manager, publicist, Music Editor, and lawyer. It is not necessary for your team to be made up of all these members, but at least three.
  • Strong Brand: First, you must have a high degree of professionalism. Having created a brand and being in continuous growth demonstrates the basis of a great effort and commitment to consider and be evaluated.

Although AWAL is selective, its main mission is to partner with creative, passionate, and motivated artists to propel them with their careers on a professional level.

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