Anthem Entertainment and Wax Records are joining forces.
The independent music company and record label have announced a strategic creative partnership, one they state “is designed to revolutionize the artist development process.”
The Anthem-Wax partnership seeks to remove barriers between songwriters, producers and artists, and give them the tools and resources to create together. That includes initiatives like international song camps to connect people across diverse genres, in-house studio spaces and dedicated writing rooms. These resources are designed to facilitate a higher volume of music and effective market readiness.
Anthem Entertainment is a big player in publishing and licensing, with a stable that includes hit songwriters like Chantal Kreviazuk and Timbaland. The company has a massive catalog of songs, an infrastructure featuring robust creative and executive teams, and creative spaces in Toronto and Nashville, including Toronto’s acclaimed Noble Street Studios. Billboard Canada recently reported on Anthem Entertainment’s sale of its Production Music Group to Slipstream, a deal that included noted production music agency Jingle Punks and added over 650,000 tracks to Slipstream’s catalogue.
Since starting in 2009, Wax Records has built a roster headed by platinum-selling artists Alyssa Reid, Shawn Desman and Virginia to Vegas along with bülow, Conor Gains, Blitz//Berlin and more.
The partnership expands the scope of both companies.
“I’m thrilled to welcome the Wax team — and their exceptional roster of artists — into the Anthem family,” says Anthem CEO Jason Klein (one of Billboard Canada’s 2024 Power Players). “Jamie [Appleby, Wax Records President and Head of A&R] and Ron [Morse, Wax Records CEO] have built an extraordinary label, with a creative and agile approach to artist discovery, development, and marketing that transcends conventional limitations. This partnership will allow Wax to elevate their outstanding work with additional resources and infrastructure, and introduce an exciting new creative pipeline for Anthem’s songwriters.
“The possibilities for global success with this partnership are limitless.”
Anthem and Wax tout the partnership as “an evolution of the music business” and a key to artist empowerment as well as a key to opening doors internationally.
“The global music marketplace is an ever-changing adventure,” says Wax’s Jamie Appleby. “Through countless hours of dedication and hard work, we strive to cultivate a vibrant entrepreneurial culture that supports and provides globalization opportunities for our community. We are excited for the next evolution of Wax Records, and have tremendous admiration for Jason and the exceptional team at Anthem. This new venture will expand our ongoing commitment to our incredible artists, venture partners, and sub label groups.”