As expected, former top Warner Music execs Julie Greenwald and Max Lousada have launched 26.2, a new record label in partnership with Sony Music, the pair confirmed in Music Business Worldwide on Monday.
The pair — who stress that their new company is a label, not a JV, distributor or services platform — recently signed a strategic partnership deal with Sony Music that includes investment and global distribution through the Sony system., after initially considering partnering with a Wall Street investor. They say they are currently talking with prospective artist signings and have opened offices in their respective bases of New York and London.
The label’s name reflects the distance in miles of a marathon, which telegraphs its M.O.: fewer artists, long game.
“I’m super romantic about running a real record label,” Greenwald said. “I love being in service of artists, of art, and of greatness.”
Lousada seconded, “Fundamentally, we believe that there is too much conversation today on the distribution of art versus the creation – and the raising up – of that art.
“We are music and art-first and digital solutions-second, not the reverse,” he continued. “Fundamentally, we believe that there is too much conversation today on the distribution of art versus the creation – and the raising up – of that art.”
Greenwald, of course, was at the helm of Atlantic Records with Craig Kallman for nearly 20 years, a period in which the company enjoyed a formidable and remarkably consistent run of success that included the careers of Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Coldplay, Lizzo, Paramore, Charlie Puth and dozens of others. Atlantic was named Variety’s Hitmakers label of the year in 2022 and she and Kallman were honorees at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala that same year; also in 2022 she was promoted to CEO of Atlantic Music Group. She began her career at Rush Management, working with Run-DMC, LL Cool J and others, before moving over to Def Jam Records and then, in 2004, Atlantic.
Lousada came up in the British dance-music scene of the 1990s and began his career by launching a distributor for DJs and label heads like DJ Shadow, James Lavelle and Gilles Peterson. He followed by running the international operation for the briefly thriving Rawkus hip-hop label (which included Rupert Murdoch’s son James as a co-founder), then Australia-based Mushroom Records — signing his first massive act, Zero 7, featuring a singer named Sia — which was acquired by Warner Music in 2003, bringing Lousada into the company’s fold. He rose through the ranks, becoming Atlantic U.K.’s head of A&R, president and chairman by 2009, then chairman-CEO of Warner Music U.K., and in 2017 head of recorded music for Warner Music Group.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
