Downtown Artist & Label Services (DA&LS) has unveiled a series of new signings.
The latest deals include indie pop duo Capital Cities, dance duo Sofi Tukker and, in a catalogue upstreaming agreement for their 2009 debut album, rock band Twenty One Pilots.
“These signings reinforce Downtown’s efforts to provide world-class distribution, marketing and strategic growth opportunities for artists and rights-holders,” said a statement.
Capital Cities, known for their hit Safe and Sound, have partnered with Downtown Artist & Label Services to support their catalog and future releases.
Since joining Downtown, the band has seen streaming growth, with daily Spotify consumption increasing by more than 30%. Their first new project with Downtown, titled A Hurricane Of Frowns, was released on February 14.
“Partnering with Downtown has quickly made a significant impact on how our music reaches both our existing fans and new listeners,” said Ryan Merchant & Sebu Simonian, co-founders of Capital Cities.
“With Downtown Artist & Label Services’ support, we’re excited for more growth, more great music, and everything that lies ahead.”
Alongside Capital Cities, Downtown Artist & Label Services has also signed Grammy-nominated duo Sofi Tukker to its roster, signing the US rights to their catalogue, including the hit song Purple Hat.
Since the duo’s breakthrough with Drinkee in 2015, they have gained international recognition, earning multiple Grammy nominations, including Best Dance Recording for Drinkee in 2017 and Best Dance/Electronic Album for Treehouse in 2019.
Earlier this year, Downtown upstreamed the self-titled debut album from Grammy-winning rock band Twenty One Pilots, which was originally released via Downtown-owned distributor CD Baby in 2009.
We’re honoured to welcome such incredible talent to the roster
Bryan Mooney
Downtown Artist & Label Services has upstreamed more than 20 artists from CD Baby, including the indie artist Roar and pop artist Rebecca Black, who joined DA&LS in 2022 to release her debut album, Let Her Burn.
The company has contributed to the early success of Rebecca Black’s Salvation, which debuted at No.10 in the US on Spotify, and has secured major global DSP support.
Downtown said its “ability to elevate independent artists” can be illustrated by the rapid growth of indie-pop act TV Girl. Following their upstreaming from CD Baby in July 2022, the band have seen a 350% increase in streaming. Most recently, their 2014 track Lovers Rock entered Spotify’s Billions Club, with more than 500 million of those streams occurring in the past year.
“We’re honoured to welcome such incredible talent to the roster, and to be entrusted with playing a role in their continued growth and success,” said global vice president of A&R Bryan Mooney. “These artists represent the pinnacle of their craft and embody our mission: empowering them to reach new heights of commercial success on their own terms, without sacrificing ownership or control. It’s also exciting to further prove how we can elevate records across Downtown’s family of brands.”
Subscribers can read our interview with CD Baby president Molly Neuman.
PHOTO: Sofi Tukker (credit Rob Woodcox)
For more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to receive our daily Morning Briefing newsletter