IDOL has agreed a global distribution and label services deal with Young Art Records, the LA-based label belonging to US producer and DJ Tokimonsta.
The partnership will see IDOL handle global distribution and marketing for Young Art Records’ catalogue and frontline releases, including new single Cakewalk from US rapper Cakes Da Killa.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024, Young Art Records’ roster also includes Canadian R&B musician Rochelle Jordan, and instrumentalist and songwriter duo Daktyl & Benni Ola.
The new deal with IDOL also covers last week’s first-ever digital release of Time To and Conversion Theory, the 2012 singles from Tokimonsta and Suzi Analogue’s collaborative project, Analogue Monsta.
Tokimonsta’s third studio album, Lune Rouge, released via Young Art, was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards, making her the first Asian-American woman to be nominated in the category. Her career has also seen collaborations with the likes of Anderson Paak, Channel Tres and Earthgang.
The agreement with Young Art is the next phase in the digital distributor’s growing North American presence, with the deal extending its repertoire of partnerships with entrepreneurial artists and their management teams. This year’s US signings include rapper Erick the Architect, with IDOL servicing recent releases Ambrosia, featuring Channel Tres, and Parkour, produced by James Blake.
Tokimonsta said: “Young Art Records started as a way of sharing exciting music from incredibly special musicians that I truly believe in. Being an artist-run label, Young Art focuses on highlighting and lifting up musicians so they can do what they do best — make amazing music. Knowing that IDOL trusts us and understands the importance of each musician magnifies this amazing partnership. I’m looking forward to the added infrastructure and support behind each of our artists and future endeavours.”
I’m looking forward to the added infrastructure and support behind each of our artists
Tokimonsta
Lewis Kunstler, co-founder at Young Art Records, said: “As Young Art Records celebrates its 10th anniversary, we are pleased to announce our partnership with IDOL. This collaboration will empower our team, expand our reach, and enhance our presence on a global scale. We look forward to this new chapter as well as the opportunities it will bring to share our passion for music with an even wider audience.”
Thomas Sharp Maxwell, US general manager at IDOL, added: “We’ve been fans of Young Art as well as Tokimonsta’s own projects for several years, and as IDOL continues to develop in North America, this partnership serves as an important benchmark for the company’s global ambition. We’re proud to welcome such a forward-thinking label that shares a similar ethos to ours being home to such a diverse roster of artists. The Young Art team comes with a reputation that is beyond reproach and we’re excited to help further develop the culture they’ve fostered while executing on the label’s vision for the future.”
IDOL’s roster includes, Erased Tapes, Fire Records, Glitterbeat, Gondwana, Kitsuné, AIM Awards 2022 winners Local Action, Soundway, SRD, Ubisoft, Acrophase, B3SCI and Exceleration, whilst also working with artists such as Four Tet, Erick the Architect, Nils Frahm, Daphni, La Femme, L’Impératrice, Yemi Alade, Afro B and Lomepal.
IDOL operates its own digital distribution platform, Labelcamp, which offers supply chain management tools and analytics dashboards to its distributed partners. Labelcamp is also available for third-party labels and distributors, and is used by the likes of [PIAS], Because, Concord and Ditto.
The IDOL team and its operations are based in Paris, London, Berlin, New York, LA, Nashville and Johannesburg.
PHOTO: Matt Nelson
FOLLOW 
