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Rising country artist Tanner Adell signs distribution deal with Atlanta’s LVRN Records

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Rising country artist Tanner Adell signs distribution deal with Atlanta’s LVRN Records

Rising country star Tanner Adell and label executives discuss signing a distribution deal with LVRN Records, a Black-owned and operated company in Atlanta.

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Rising country star Tanner Adell’s next steps toward pop stardom take an independent, African-American-defined turn.

Nine months after leaving her original label at Columbia Records (where she signed in December 2022), the “Buckle Bunny” and “Whiskey Blues” singer has now signed a distribution-only deal with Atlanta, Georgia-based nearly ten years. Love Renaissance (LVRN) Records, a black-owned and operated independent record label distributed by Interscope.

Alongside Adell, LVRN now showcases an expanded diaspora of African, African-American and Afro-Caribbean artists and events, including artists 6LACK, Summer Walker, DJ SPINALL, TxC and DVSN, as well as the series of Jerk X Jollof events celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture. .

“Atlanta and Nashville can achieve historic success”

Regarding the signing, Adell, LVRN CEO/co-founder Tunde Balogun and LVRN Records Executive Vice President and General Manager Amber Grimes spoke at length with The Tennessean.

Grimes explained that the “organic” rise of Black female artists in country music and related genres over the past half-decade has her excited about the idea of ​​LVRN becoming more involved in the country industry.

Notably, Mickey Guyton, Allison Russell and Yola have earned 17 Grammy nominations (with Russell winning in 2024), while CMT’s Next Women of Country program has honored more than a dozen Black female artists since 2019 (Adell is part of CMT’s Next Women of Country 2024 class.

Additionally, the release of 32-time Grammy winner Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter” in 2024 has already seen Adell, as well as the rising trio of Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer, gain recognition more significant by appearing on the cover of the Beatles album. 1969, hit “Blackbird”.

“Black artists creating country music should be truly embraced by fan communities regardless of where they come from, it should have been done a long time ago,” Grimes continues. “Moreover, in general, fans of all music (LVRN Records) publish and distribute love songs that are not driven by a quest for influence or inauthenticity. (Therefore) the uncompromising artists we support achieve fame.”

Regarding that authenticity, being based in Atlanta, LVRN is at the epicenter of hip-hop culture and trap-style rap music that has, from Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan to Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt, to Morgan Wallen, inspired two decades of lucrative mainstream culture and country hit songs.

Balogun points out that Atlanta moguls “respect” how they incorporated Hotlanta’s boldness into the success of downtown Music City.

“Times are changing in the music industry. Unified, Atlanta and Nashville can achieve historic success and develop a powerful new symbol of (how the music industry will develop in the future).”

“For generations, Black people have represented a (lasting) cultural evolution. Additionally, smaller, independent, Black-owned businesses and record labels have been part of these evolutions. These companies – including LVRN – have (managed to) uniquely hone in on the artists they believe they can turn into stars,” Adell adds.

Along with her thoughts on race, Adell, an iconoclastic creative, worries that Nashville’s industry is at a crossroads.

On the one hand, it gives the impression of continuing to marginalize women and people of color. On the other hand, through streaming platforms, wholesale is adopting the first-past-the-post model, allowing an unprecedentedly diverse and growing set of artists to maintain their appeal in country and related genres.

“Nashville’s continued (perception) of artists like me will persist until they understand that other markets, around the world – namely, for me, labels like LVRN, the global market festivals and events like the BET Awards, which I will be attending this year – are more quickly embracing developments in country music (that’s when Music City is doing it, in some cases),” Adell says.

LVRN strategy has lineage and working potential

The movement of Balogun, Grimes and LVRN combines many historical lineages.

From 1971 to 1975, after reviving the Stax Records imprint from near financial ruin and moving distribution from Atlantic to CBS Records, legendary label head Al Bell expanded Stax’s reach as a label (in releasing a spoken word album by Jesse Jackson and a comedy record by Richard Pryor), and investing in African-American countries like Senatobia, Mississippi-born OB McClinton. The artist’s 1972 release, “Obie From Senatobie”, featured the top 40 country hit “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You”.

Additionally, in current times, both Roberts and Billboard chart topper Shaboozey are currently signed to the Nashville division of full-service independent label EMPIRE.

The label has worked with Kane Brown and Willie Jones in similar capacities over the past decade.

Additionally, fast-rising country and rock superstar Jelly Roll has entered into a distribution deal with BMG’s Nashville-based BBR Music Group. He signed the deal in 2021 after spending a decade as a completely independent artist, with no affiliation to any mainstream label.

“Trusting people with my life”

For Adell, working with LVRN allows him to finally release his debut album thanks to his social media-driven marketing prowess and Universal Music Publishing Group-signed songwriting abilities.

She and her team, which includes booking agents Abby Wells Bass and Sloane Cavitt Logue at William Morris Entertainment, as well as manager Beka Tischker and Wide Eyed Entertainment, wanted to galvanize their significant momentum into 2024 (Adell has become a fixture on broadcast shows). ‘television interviews and has performed globally at C2C). Festival, CMA Fest and Stagecoach) via a non-traditional recording contract that would allow him to control his masters and have his music distributed solely in connection with the label.

Adell said independent and major labels were open to the idea.

“Ultimately trusting people with my life over the next year of my music career means people genuinely hearing and respecting my story.”

To that end, Adell and the label have crafted what she describes as a clear “30-page plan,” focused on brand and fans, as well as unique interests, for the next 12 months.

Are boutique artists with global appeal the future of music?

Adell’s new label deal and future aspirations reflect how an artist like her – boutique but with global appeal – best survives in the modern music industry.

“Expectations of what success can look like, for everyone, change daily,” says Adell.

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Currently, as an artist not regularly heard on country radio touring with the industry’s most renowned artists, she is still able to use a baseline of at least 1 million views for its free, self-generated, branded, musical and personal content as leverage in conversations with other brands, festivals and all layers of the mainstream music industry machine.

“I am not the first artist – and I will not be the last – to pave the way for an independent and passionate path to my professional success.”

A press release forwarded by LVRN’s Head of A&R, Justice Baiden, expresses the passion that perhaps governs not only the future of the country’s industry, but perhaps the music industry as a whole.

“It’s rare these days to be impressed and instantly connect with an artist. Tanner is a generational talent who will change the way people feel, perceive and digest country music. We believe in the stories she tells and to her ability to relate to everyday people; our decision to support her journey reflects how we at LVRN entered the industry and how we see things: fearless, rebellious, loving. , Rebirth!

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