Mic Drop: W Hotels launches music label
The W brand's longstanding relationships with music industry partners, promoters, media and influencers will help W Records artists cut through an overcrowded market.
W Hotels isn't just marching to their own beat, they're debuting it. The iconic brand behind the world's first on-property music festival series (WAKE UP CALL) today announces its newest project: W Records.
At its core, W Records is a record label and resource for artists selected by W Hotels and their music industry partners. From signing to release, W Records supports artists through every step of development, providing recording space, video shoot locations, mixing and mastering and finally, distribution of the new sound via live performances, streaming and vinyl production. Tracks for W Records are recorded, naturally, in W Sound Suites (the brand's signature, on-site recording studios) with four rising artists stepping up to the mic over the next year. Starting today, tracks from the first artist will be released through W Records both digitally and via limited edition runs of vinyl, offering W fans a throwback way to enjoy new/next music.
“W Records is, undoubtedly, a natural next step for W and music. It represents a complete 360-degree approach to our innovative music programming – one in which we support emerging talent, provide them a place to record, distribute their music and act as a live venue. We’ve accomplished each of these tasks in increments before, but now we can do it all.”
W Records is supporting emerging artists, and artists on the tipping point of worldwide fame with production, distribution, a fully-produced music video and a live performance. Each artist will lay down tracks in a W Sound Suite (either W Hollywood, W Barcelona, W Bali or W Seattle) and record a cover as well as an original track. Once the tracks are mixed and mastered, W will release 500 copies of limited-edition vinyl which will be sent to DJs, tastemakers as well as music-loving SPG/Marriott Rewards Members. Each W Records artist will film a music video to accompany the release of his or her W-exclusive tracks. It will all culminate in an intimate live set for W guests and fans.
The entire W Records project with Amber Mark is women-led; Amber herself is producing the tracks which have been mixed/mastered by women and manufactured by a women-run vinyl production company.
The first W Records artist is R&B artist, songwriter, producer and all-around powerhouse, Amber Mark. Fans around the world can stream Mark's cover of "High On Your Love" by Kings Go Forth starting today, marking the first exclusive release from W Records.
All W proceeds from the streaming releases of W Records tracks will be donated to a charity of each artist's choice.