Music distro AWAL expands to West Africa

Nigerian music exec Excel Joab will lead the company’s A&R and artist development efforts in the region, which is already home to similar companies like EMPIRE and ONErpm.

Founded by Lonny Olinick, AWAL offers a modern and artist-friendly approach to the music business. The company, which has offices in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sydney and Berlin, seeks to revolutionise the conventional recording industry, providing artists with the resources and expertise of a global label while enabling them to maintain ownership and control over their music. The company offers a diverse array of services, covering global marketing, creative support, synchronisation, brand partnerships, radio promotion, distribution and real-time music analytics access.

A creative consultant and podcaster, Joab’s industry experience also includes a role as content acquisition manager for Boomplay Nigeria. He will spearhead AWAL’s quest for discovering and developing talent.

“I am thrilled to join the talented team at AWAL and contribute to the continued success of this innovative company,” Joab said about his new role. “We are at a point where African music has begun to take centre stage in the global music scene, and AWAL is strategically placed to partner with the next generation of superstars to emerge from the region.”

AWAL’s head of growth, Ben Akinbola, added: “I couldn’t be more excited for Excel to hit the ground running with AWAL’s entry into Africa. We’re on a mission to partner with independent artists to tell stories that shape culture, and Africa’s impact on culture globally is undeniable. Excel’s experience and entrepreneurial mindset make him the perfect person to lead the charge for us.”

To date, 21 AWAL artists have now crossed 1 billion streams globally through the company, whose international roster spans emerging talents to globally acclaimed acts, including Little Simz, JVKE, Tom Misch, deadmau5/Kx5, Disclosure, JPEGMAFIA, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Young the Giant, Sbtrkt, Jungle and Lizzy McAlpine. 

Last month, AWAL promoted former managing director Paul Hitchman to the role of global COO as part of efforts to bolster its mission of empowering independent artists at every stage of their careers.