Akira Records Renews Deal With The Orchard As It Celebrates Ten Years.

07 September 2023 - Press release

London-based Independent label Akira Records  has re-signed with The Orchard as it celebrates its tenth year of operations.

Akira Records is a British independent record label founded in 2013 by Stevie McMinn, a member of the highly influential band Mt. Wolf, and at the time was a promoter and worked as a scout  at Sony Music.  Akira has developed an excellent reputation for unearthing talent with a remarkable ability to pick out artists whose music is mainstream in its appeal but resonated beyond traditional industry marketing at the time. The label has been particularly successful online gaining traction on platforms such as Hype Machine, SoundCloud, YouTube, and then later and more substantially on the DSP's, achieving hundreds of millions of streams and large numbers of followers online across the roster. Akira has more recently focused on core fanbase building, selling physical and merch alongside streaming and also live promotion via Akira Live - which has fully promoted gigs in London whilst co-promoting regionally in the UK, with plans to do the same across Europe.

Stevie McMinn says:  "We’ve been with The Orchard since day one and we’re delighted to re-sign with them. The relationships we have built over those ten years are key. Akira started out as a bedroom label, as a one man operation and there is no way we would still be here today without the investment and the love and support of The Orchard. Whether it’s the day-to-day support and logistics, strategic input, international connections, they have such a wealth of experience and artists to draw from to give the best possible service. They are also aligned with our ethos and have high standards when it comes to the quality of the music, and the credibility of the artists they work with."

Ian Dutt, Managing Director, The Orchard, says: "The Orchard is thrilled to be able to continue our partnership with Stevie and Akira Records. It's been a pleasure to see the label grow from relatively humble beginnings to where they are now, and an honour to be part of their journey. Fostering long term relationships is central to The Orchard's philosophy. A key to that process is acknowledging where The Orchard needs to grow and develop in order to continue adding value to our labels' creative output. I very much look forward to celebrating the next 10 years of success with Stevie."

 Akira Records artists include fast rising Irish indie rock band modernlove., who are about to start an autumn tour of the UK and Europe before a second tour of the US this year. Ghostly Kisses will be releasing her second album in 2024. In 2023 she has played significant headline shows in Turkey and the Middle East and has toured much of the UK, Europe and America with Lord Huron, RY X and Men I Trust. She is finishing the year with festival appearances in China. Jasmine Jethwa recently featured on the official soundtrack to the Lionesses World Cup campaign alongside Mel C, Olivia Dean and co - and she has sold out multiple shows on her debut headline tour of the UK and Europe. Phoria released their third studio album earlier this year. The critically acclaimed outfit will be headlining KOKO featuring The Parallax Orchestra at the end of November. They are working on their fourth album and will be looking to take their ambitious show on tour around Europe in 2024. Henry Green, one of the longest standing artists on the label since releasing his debut EP in 2015, is building towards his third studio album with new single 'Outside', featuring a notable sample from The Temptations classic ‘I Wish It Would Rain’.

McMinn says:  "We’ve got so much going on at the moment with amazing artists across different stages of their career. From second EPs all the way through to 4th album’s, from sold out debut headline tours to festivals in China, it’s a very exciting time for us right now.  We have a flexible approach in the way we work with artists. We're very hands on with certain aspects of certain projects, whether that's A&R, creative, socials, live etc, but are also able to give artists the space to fully take the reins at times. It depends on the project’s needs, and also the ambition of the artist and their team. In our ten years the industry has changed so much and you have to be adaptable. For example, the label was born out of the streaming boom, but we’ve since pivoted more towards core fanbase building, helping artists develop across the live side, helping to formulate and maintain an effective social media strategy, building out their mailing lists, selling physical / merch etc - in order to build sustainable long term careers, which is what I want for Akira artists."

Berkeley Edwards, Principal and Head of Music at Clintons, who have been Akira’s legal team since the beginning: "It’s been brilliant to get the chance to work so closely with Stevie and Akira over the past decade and a privilege to work alongside a label who gets so involved in so many different aspects of the development of an artist’s career. We’re all excited to see what the next 10 years will bring for Akira."