Leeds record label Dance to the Radio announces distributor deal linked to Sony Music Entertainment

The deal will enable the label to sign and develop further new and established talent from the UK and beyond, it says, after a period of sustained growth since re-launching in 2016.

Plans for 2023 include a release for The Pigeon Detectives, who originate from Rothwell, and will be bringing out TV Show, their first album since 2017, in summer.

In addition to that there will be the second album from Leeds-based producer-artist Far Caspian, whose previous releases on the label have amassed more than 100 million streams, according to the label.

Last month, Dance to the Radio presented its first international showcase at South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, with a bill featuring talent form the Yorkshire region, including the likes of Halifax band The Orielles and Leeds’s English Teacher.

The showcase also featured record giveaways from the label’s sister company Press-On, a new vinyl pressing plant.

With a focus on emerging acts, Dance to the Radio says it has been quietly building a talented roster of new and exciting artists, most recently creating label imprints with key artists or figures within the Futuresound Group to develop a presence within different genres.

These include gold-selling rock label Slam Dunk Records (relaunched in 2020), lofi-alternative label Tiny Library Records (with Far Caspian’s Joel Johnston) and rap/RnB and garage label LC-Recordings, set up with Leeds’s Columbia-signed artist Cole LC.

Colin Oliver, MD of parent company Futuresound Group, says that “2023 feels like a key moment for our label services. We have developed some exciting artists, and continue to find and develop credible and unique acts in the North, offering services from across our group including our live music operations and festivals, our artist management company and our vinyl pressing plant."

He added that they were “looking forward to expanding the horizons of the artists we work with” and said the bands that they showcased in Austin was “testament to the wealth of talent we have in the region”.

The Futuresound Group, based at Munro House in Leeds, has numerous venues and promoter brands, including Live at Leeds Festival, Slam Dunk Festival, a ticketing company, its vinyl pressing plant, four record labels and an artist management company. Live at Leeds In The Park takes place at Temple Newsam Park on Saturday May 27 and features a line-up including Two Door Cinema Club, Tom Walker, Kate Nash, The Hives, Maximo Park, Everything Everything and more.