RECORDS, LLC

What RECORDS, LLC does

RECORDS, LLC is a private joint-venture record label founded in 2015 by industry executive Barry Weiss in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, operating dual headquarters in New York City (345 Hudson Street) and Nashville. The label signs, develops, and markets emerging artists across pop, hip-hop, alternative, and country music. Its active roster of approximately eleven artists includes Ty Myers (636M+ global streams and RIAA GOLD for "Ends of the Earth"), 24kGoldn (6x Platinum "Mood"), Slayyyter, Noah Cyrus, Nelly (Diamond-certified catalog), Dax, George Birge, Emily Ann Roberts, Ethan Garner, Lennon Stella, Mack Geiger, and Brendan Walter.

The company operates two distinct divisions: the original RECORDS label handling pop, hip-hop, and alternative music, and RECORDS Nashville, a country music imprint launched in 2020 that has produced chart-topping country artists. Distribution is handled through the Sony Music joint venture and Columbia Records partnerships, releasing music globally across Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, Deezer, SoundCloud, and iHeart Radio, plus physical retail and digital download stores. Revenue streams include streaming royalties, physical and digital sales, sync licensing for film/TV/advertising, and artist development services in exchange for revenue share.

RECORDS's go-to-market combines traditional A&R signing with intensive artist development—marketing, digital strategy, radio promotion, and touring support—augmented by live event leverage through festivals (Coachella, Governors Ball, CMC Rocks) and major opening-act slots (Ty Myers opening for Luke Combs). Recent 2026 milestones include Slayyyter's debut album debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Dance Albums chart, Ty Myers' sold-out 66-date "The Select Tour," and the promotion of Andrew Saltman to SVP of Artist Development and Sara Gil to General Manager to oversee the integrated two-office operation.

Name

RECORDS, LLC

Legal name

RECORDS, LLC

Website

https://recordsco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RECORDS, LLC is a 2015-founded joint-venture record label between Barry Weiss and Sony Music Entertainment, releasing pop, country, hip-hop, and alternative music from an emerging-artist roster across NYC and Nashville offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Record Label Services

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Music Publishers (512230), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals) (MPAIALAM), Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Record label services
• Artist development
• Music distribution
• Country music label
• Music publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Music Sales and Streaming: Revenue from digital and physical music sales through major distribution channels including streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music), digital download stores, and physical album sales. The label's artists generate streaming revenue through DSP partnerships.
2. Artist Development and Label Services: RECORDS provides artist development services including marketing, digital strategy, radio promotion, and touring support in exchange for a share of artist revenue. The joint venture with Sony Music provides distribution and promotional infrastructure.
3. Sync Licensing and Partnerships: Revenue from synchronization licensing for film, TV, advertising, and other media uses. Slayyyter's album and performances at major festivals generate sync and licensing opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RECORDS, LLC is a joint-venture record label co-founded with Sony Music Entertainment that signs and develops emerging artists across pop, country, hip-hop, and alternative genres. The label provides full-service artist development including marketing, digital strategy, radio promotion, and touring support in exchange for a share of artist revenue, with music distributed globally through Sony's major label infrastructure and Columbia Records partnerships.

Product overview

RECORDS, LLC operates as a two-division record label enterprise: the main RECORDS label (core product) focused on pop, hip-hop, and urban artists, and RECORDS Nashville (sub-brand/country imprint) focused on country music. The company functions as a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment, providing artist development, label operations, and music distribution across multiple genres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RECORDS Nashville: Country music imprint of RECORDS, launched in 2020 as the Nashville-based division of the label.

Products and services

• RECORDS Main record label joint venture between Barry Weiss and Sony Music Entertainment, focused on artist development for emerging artists across pop, hip-hop, and alternative genres, headquartered in New York City.
• RECORDS Nashville Country music imprint of RECORDS launched in 2020, based in Nashville, developing country artists including Ty Myers, George Birge, Emily Ann Roberts, and others.

Quantifiable outcome

• Slayyyter's debut album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Dance Albums chart in 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Florida Georgia LineminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Florida Georgia Line on Nelly's 'Lil Bit' single and country EP 'Hartland'. Cross-genre collaboration to reach country music audiences.
• Elle KingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Remix collaboration with Grammy-nominated Elle King on Dax's 'Dear Alcohol' single, expanding reach across hip-hop and country genres.
• Big Yellow Dog MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Publishing deal for Ethan Garner with Big Yellow Dog Music, a Nashville-based publishing company.
• Columbia RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with Columbia Records for artist releases including LSD project (Labrinth, Sia & Diplo), Slayyyter, Lennon Stella, and Ty Myers. Columbia handles distribution and promotion for these joint releases.
• Sony Music EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Joint venture partnership where Sony Music provides distribution infrastructure, promotional resources, and global reach in exchange for equity and revenue share. RECORDS maintains independent artist development operations while leveraging Sony's major label capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Machine Records: Independent country/pop label known for breaking major country artists (Taylor Swift historically). Directly comparable as a major-distribution-backed indie label with cross-genre artist development focus.
• Valory Music Group: Country music imprint within Big Machine Label Group focused on developing emerging country artists. Directly comparable as a sister country imprint that signs and develops new country talent through major distribution.
• Fueled by Ramen: Alternative/pop indie label owned by Warner Music Group, known for breaking young alternative acts (Twenty One Pilots, Panic! at the Disco). Comparable as a genre-specialized indie label scaling emerging artists via major-label infrastructure.
• Big Loud Records: Independent country label operating as a joint venture with Sony Music Nashville, with roster development focus similar to RECORDS Nashville. Directly comparable as a genre-specialized JV label leveraging major-label distribution.
• Broken Bow Records / BBR Music Group: Nashville-based country label group with multi-imprint structure (Broken Bow, Red Bow, Stoney Creek) analogous to RECORDS Nashville. Directly comparable as a country-focused label scaling emerging artists through major distribution.
• 10K Projects: Independent hip-hop/pop label with major distribution partnership, focused on breaking young emerging artists across genres. Directly comparable as a genre-diverse indie JV label with artist development emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Records: Major label (Universal Music Group) with broad pop, hip-hop, and alternative roster. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in RECORDS' core genres, providing scale benchmarking and competitive context.
• Columbia Records: Major-label division of Sony Music Entertainment and RECORDS' named distribution and joint-release partner. Comparable as the parent-distributor relationship, providing market context for indie JV labels operating under major-label umbrella.

Emerging players

• Quality Control Music: Atlanta-based hip-hop label/management company that broke Migos, Lil Baby, and City Girls. Comparable as a hip-hop-focused indie label scaling emerging artists, with partial overlap on RECORDS' urban roster.
• 300 Entertainment: Independent label with major distribution (Warner), spanning hip-hop, pop, and Latin with artist development focus. Comparable as a multi-genre indie JV label scaling through major-label distribution partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/recordsco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RECORDS, LLC