US indie label Ghostly International and Secretly have formed a new company called ‘All Flowers Group’, which will be the parent company of Ghostly and the newly launched hip-hop and r&b label, drink sum wtr.
The unveiling of All Flowers Group is the first major move since Ghostly International merged with Secretly in 2020.
All Flowers and drink sum wtr will both operate alongside the Secretly ecosystem of Secretly Group (Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records and Secretly Canadian), The Numero Group, 37d03d, Secretly Publishing and Secretly Distribution.
The New York-based drink sum wtr is billed as a “culture brand” that will champion “some of the most distinct voices in hip-hop, R&B and adjacent sounds”, says Ghostly and Secretly.
The Queens-based rapper Deem Spencer marks the label’s first signing, and the label will kick off a singles series with tracks from Shelley FKA DRAM, followed by artists Sol Galeano and Wahid, in June.
Sam Valenti IV, Founder/CEO of Ghostly International, will serve as Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Creative Officer of All Flowers Group.
Drink sum wtr, meanwhile, will be helmed by CEO and A&R, Nigil Mack.
Mack first gained experience in the music industry at Unruly Records in Baltimore, then moved to Motown and Republic Records as an A&R.
At drink sum wtr, Nigil Mack is joined by Alexandra Berenson, whose new role as All Flowers Group’s Senior Director of A&R follows several years spent as Head of A&R at Vinyl Me, Please.
At Vinyl Me, Please, Berenson worked with artists such as Channel Tres, Dua Saleh, MorMor, Moses Sumney and Still Woozy.
Kate Ebeling has also joined All Flowers Group as Marketing Director.
Ebeling joins from mtheory, where she worked on projects for artists such as Empress Of, FKJ, Flume, Tom Odell and WILDER Records (via Future Classic).
Secretly’s Chloé van Bergen (VP of Operations, Europe) and Kraegan Graves (VP of Operations, Americas) also join the All Flowers Group, and will oversee the operational growth of the company.
“I’m very excited about the journey that I’m about to take with this new venture.”
Nigil Mack
Nigil Mack, said: “I’m very excited about the journey that I’m about to take with this new venture.
“Working with a like-minded team of industry seasoned professionals who are all unified in making artist development the core focus of drink sum wtr, the artist’s vision will always be the priority.
“Never at drink sum wtr will we chase trends and algorithms.
“We’d rather chase legacy.”
“What compelled me to be a part of All Flowers Group is an ‘art first’ approach.”
Alexandra Berenson
Alexandra Berenson, added: “I am incredibly excited to join Ghostly, drink sum wtr and the Secretly family for this new venture.
“What compelled me to be a part of All Flowers Group is an ‘art first’ approach, which I believe to be key in allowing artists the freedom to express their creativity with as few roadblocks as possible.
“It is our mission to foster a collaborative space, while refusing to chase trends in order to help uplift every artist we partner with.”
“The ‘same soil, water, and sun’ approach we envisioned for Ghostly when partnering with Secretly has already led to some of our most beloved signings.”
Sam Valenti IV
Sam Valenti IV, said: “The ‘same soil, water, and sun’ approach we envisioned for Ghostly when partnering with Secretly has already led to some of our most beloved signings and a true sense of international connection.
“This new chapter will add to our collective voice and help us encourage new and visionary leadership, which Nigil, Alex, and Kate exemplify.”
“Starting a new label drink sum wtr with Nigil […] has been a beautiful process so far.”
Chris Swanson, Secretly Group
Chris Swanson, Secretly Group’s Co-Founder and President of A&R, said: “As a believer that record labels — especially in 2022 — play a crucial role in the artist development landscape, I see labels forming alliances as label groups as a means to providing more competitive services for their artist partners.
“It’s with that spirit that we approach All Flowers Group.
“Starting a new label drink sum wtr with Nigil — to operate alongside Sam’s now-grown baby Ghostly International — has been a beautiful process so far.”Music Business Worldwide
