Artist services company AWAL has shuffled its UK leadership, promoting Matt Riley to President and elevating Victoria Needs and Sam Potts to co-Managing Directors.
Riley, who joined AWAL in 2014, previously led artist development in the UK through various A&R roles. He has worked with artists like Tom Misch and Rex Orange County.
Since 2023, Riley has led the UK AWAL Recordings unit alongside Needs and Potts, building a roster that includes Jungle, Little Simz, Wasia Project, CMAT, kwn, Wretch 32, James Marriott, Luvcat, Chloe Slater, and Tom Cooper.
Commenting on his promotion, Riley said: “It is immensely rewarding to have been part of AWAL’s story for the past decade and most of all a huge privilege to work with such a special bunch of people and artists.”
“Thank you to Lonny [Olinick] and Paul [Hitchman] for their leadership and experience and of course Sam and Vic, with whom I feel we have created a formidable team. We go into every single day working hard to make AWAL the most culturally exciting, successful and forward thinking home for artists and executives it can be.”
Meanwhile, Needs brought over two decades of experience from major labels including EMI, Warner, and Sony when she joined AWAL in 2020. Her teams at AWAL have managed global campaigns for Djo, Little Simz, Jungle and Laufey, while overseeing domestic strategies for CMAT and James Marriott. She has also developed emerging acts including Wasia Project, Chloe Slater and Luvcat.
Needs said: “AWAL has always stood for doing things differently – whether that’s empowering artists, being deeply committed to artist development, or standing at the forefront of industry change. It’s incredibly energizing to lead a label full of team members that are as ambitious and committed as the unique artists that we build global careers with. Thanks as always, to Lonny and Paul for their backing.”
Potts arrived at AWAL in 2019 after more than a decade at Columbia Records and time at Warner Bros. Initially focused on promotions and streaming strategy, his role has expanded to include creator relationships and digital partnerships.
Potts said: “Being part of AWAL’s growth and developing uncompromising independent artists on the global stage has been exhilarating. There is an entrepreneurial spirit that runs through everything we do and it puts us in the best possible place to navigate the dynamic music ecosystem we operate in. We’re just getting started.”
The promotions arrive as AWAL’s breakout musician James Marriott reached No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart with his second studio LP Don’t Tell the Dog, his first with AWAL.
AWAL has also seen success with rapper Little Simz, whose album Lotus reached No. 3, marking her best week one album sales. Simz has worked with AWAL since 2015.
“These promotions for Matt, Vic and Sam are very well deserved after a sustained period of success for AWAL in the UK. Their collective leadership has been transformative for AWAL’s UK business over the last few years.”
Paul Hitchman, AWAL
Elsewhere, Irish singer-songwriter CMAT recently performed a set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid main stage to an estimated 80,000 audiences. Her upcoming album Euro-Country is scheduled for release on August 29, led by the single Take a Sexy Picture of Me, which has accumulated over 18 million streams to date.
Grammy-winning Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey placed three tracks in the UK Top 40 singles chart during Christmas 2024, including Winter Wonderland, Christmas Magic, and Santa Baby.
Paul Hitchman, Chief Operating Officer at AWAL, said: “These promotions for Matt, Vic and Sam are very well deserved after a sustained period of success for AWAL in the UK. Their collective leadership has been transformative for AWAL’s UK business over the last few years, and we are seeing the fruits of that work now with new artists breaking through to global success, and established artists achieving career highs.”
“AWAL’s UK team has never been in better shape and the UK leadership team have all the skills and experience to drive continued growth and success for AWAL and its artists into the future.”
AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick added: “It is a privilege to recognize the amazing work of our UK leadership team. Matt, Sam and Vic work selflessly as a leadership team, always putting aside any ego to do what’s best for each other, our artists and our AWAL team. They are music lovers who care deeply about our artists and the art that they create.”
“They are the unique team that is constantly pushing the envelope, making sure that our artists realize every ounce of their potential. Their results speak for themselves and we are fortunate to have such a strong team in a market so central to AWAL’s past, present and future.”
“It is a privilege to recognize the amazing work of our UK leadership team. Matt, Sam and Vic work selflessly as a leadership team, always putting aside any ego to do what’s best for each other, our artists and our AWAL team.”
Lonny Olinick, AWAL
AWAL, which previously operated as part of Kobalt Music Group, but was acquired by Sony Music Entertainment in a $430 million deal in May 2021, says it offers an alternative to traditional record labels, providing marketing, A&R, promotion, and data services. The company says its business model allows artists to retain ownership and control of their music.
The promotions follow the appointment of Amazon alumnus Aniket Parpillewar as AWAL’s Head for India and South Asia in March, about towo years after the company expanded into India and South Asia.
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