We’re very excited to announce that the Mahogany Records catalog is now available for licensing through the Мusic Gateway Sync Roster. You may know Mahogany from the Mahogany sessions but there’s more to them than just that! We’ve interviewed them to get the bigger picture and we’re taking you with us. Let’s dive in!
Firstly, thanks for taking the time to do this interview, we can’t wait to hear more about Mahogany and what you’re up to at the moment aside from your famous live sessions!
Just for the readers that aren’t familiar with the Mahogany sessions, could you please give us a rundown of what it is and what Mahogany does?
Mahogany Sessions is one of the leading online channels for super high-quality live sessions. Famous for being a launchpad platform for artists like Billie Eilish, James Bay, George Ezra, Birdy, and more. Over the last 10 years, Mahogany has built an online following of over 1 million music lovers around the globe.
We also have a sister channel ‘COVERS’ which we launched in 2018 – aimed at being the most premium platform for high-quality audio-visual cover songs, captured in a unique silhouette format.
You’ve expanded into the label side of things with Mahogany Records. How/when did this come about?
In 2017 we partnered with independent label and publisher Marathon Artists (Courtney Barnett, Jagwar Ma, Afro B) to create Mahogany Records. Huge focus on audience development and streaming potential. Very few labels themselves have such a significant music-hungry audience that our artists can tap into on a daily basis.
Tell us a bit more about Mahogany Sessions Records from a creative perspective and how it aligns with the brand you’ve created at Mahogany Sessions.
Traditionally it’s fair to say that we’ve focused a lot on indie, folk, and acoustic artists by way of the Mahogany Sessions – but our music tastes are so broad that the label is diverse. We never wanted to be a genre-specific label as there’s a real risk that artists can compete for the same opportunities.
A bunch of us here at Мusic Gateway are great fans of KAWALA. Who else have Mahogany Sessions Recordings signed?
We filmed a Mahogany Session with KAWALA whilst they were still at university back in 2015. They bunked off for a day to come down to film it with us. Their bond as a pair just created a magical sound – reminded us of Simon and Garfunkel meets Bombay Bicycle Club. The minute our Mahogany Records JV was done – they were the first act to be signed.
We also have the electronic duo Model Man who are going from strength to strength and we’re building into their debut LP in early 2021. Toby Johnson is one of the most talented songwriters that we’ve ever come across, whilst Rayowa is three Brothers from Essex who are making amazing classic disco. RoRo is an incredible talent based in Barbados, think Lauryn Hill. We released Dallas Fort Worth’s Abraham Alexander’s first EP including the breakaway song ‘Stay’.
Important to note is that the majority of artists on the roster haven’t released any music at the point at which we sign them.
How do you find artists/bands to sign and what’s important to you for an artist to be considered for Mahogany Recordings?
We’re fortunate to receive around 2000 submissions a month from artists, managers, PRs, labels, music lawyers, and also our fans recommending artists – so our A&R net is incredibly wide.
We typically like to get in incredibly early and help shape the sound, vision, and more – so the earlier the better really.
We’ve got some amazing new signings in the coming weeks but can’t reveal them here!
Aside from Mahogany Recordings, you also own Masters for the majority of Sessions you’ve run. Talk to us a little about that catalogue.
Ownership of masters is fundamental to our business and strategy. We own a significant amount of masters from the Mahogany Sessions, as well as our new COVERS brand. For transparency, all performing artists receive 50% of the Net Receipts of streaming and sync income.
BRANDED CATALOGUE (100% Master)
Mahogany Sessions – a globally renowned music discovery platform with an online audience of 1,000,000. The style is stripped back, relaxing, and mostly acoustic. Coffeehouse style etc.
COVERS – our new online music platform, specializing in live cover songs from Evergreen and modern songs inc. Dolly Parton, Roxette, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, and more. These range from super stripped-back ballads to full-band covers.
RECORD LABEL (100% MASTER)
Mahogany Recordings – Our record label also has a diverse roster with growing catalogs, most are still unpublished.
We’re delighted to be working with you to represent your artists for sync opportunities! Have you had much success with sync in the past?
Yeah, we’ve had some great success in the past with POWER on Netflix, Burberry, Love Island, Adidas, Disneyland, Starz, and ITV and we’re hungry for more.
Do you have anything exciting planned for the near future?
We are about to launch an entirely new business vertical to Mahogany. We’ve been working on it for about 18 months now. Keep an eye out for the announcement!
What are the core focuses for you over at Mahogany during the lockdown period?
Our Mahogany focus has been to keep people connected whilst they stay safe at home. We’ve had loads of artists taking over our Instagram and live streaming for our ‘Isolation Session’ series and featuring Mahogany Sessions recorded by artists in isolation on our YouTube channel. We’ve never seen such growth online – and keeping that connection between bands and fans is essential.
License Mahogany Tracks
Mahogany’s tracks, both released and unreleased are now available to license here! To enquire about a license on one of Mahogany’s tracks or enquire about any unreleased catalog please get in touch with the sync team. Or, find out more about our music licensing services.
Your Turn As An Artist
If you’re an artist or songwriter wanting to get out there, we’re here to help. Find opportunities to get your music in film, TV, and more through sync licensing. Book a call with our Head of Sync Licensing here. Collaborate globally with other musicians, songwriters producers, and more.
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