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Single Lock Records, the pioneering Southern American independent label, has entered into an exclusive worldwide partnership with Secretly Distribution. Founded in the musical hub of Muscle Shoals by a collective of artists including singer-songwriter John Paul White and keyboardist/producer Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), Single Lock has released nearly 50 titles across genres over the past seven years, including albums from St. Paul andamp; The Broken Bones, Donnie Fritts, Dylan LeBlanc, Erin Rae, Nicole Atkins and Cedric Burnside. Recent advances include the addition of a New Orleans office (expanding beyond the Shoals for the first time) and the establishment of the Advocacy Fund for Alabama Musicians to provide no-strings-attached COVID-19 relief grants for in-state musicians. 

As an artist-run independent label, Single Lock seeks to draw on the musical heritage of its Muscle Shoals home while pushing it into the 21st century, challenging the boundaries of what Southern American music can be while prioritizing fairness and transparency above all. In 2021, the label’s planned releases include follow-ups to GRAMMY nominated albums from both Mississippi bluesman Cedric Burnside and New Orleans-based Mardi Gras Indian group Cha Wa. 

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"The best labels bring a distinct creativity to their AandR and marketing, and Single Lock is one of the most exciting new signings to the Secretly roster this year," says Josh Madell, Secretly Distrubiton's Head of Artist and Label Strategy. "The label's open-minded approach to championing the music of the American South is unique and inspiring. The sound of the label is broad, but the vision is laser-focused, and being an artist-owned and run imprint, with deep roots in their community and the legendary recording studio culture of the Muscle Shoals area, gives the label a unique position in the global independent label scene."

“We couldn’t be more proud to be affiliated with Secretly Distribution and the remarkable group of indie labels they represent,” says Reed Watson, Co-Owner and General Manager of Single Lock Records. “So many of our favorite artists and records have a home there, and we consider it an honor to be a part of the team. As a company, we identify with Secretly because they’ve done the work to build a global music company out of an unlikely place. For them, it’s Bloomington, Indiana, and for us, it’s Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Without prompting, they understood the vision of Single Lock and they didn’t put us in a box because of where we come from. We’re excited to have partners like Secretly to help us continue to tell a nuanced story about Southern music. Their approach has served as an inspiration to us in the past, so we are excited to show the world what we can come up with in 2021.”

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From a humble start in 2013 as a community music project to its current status as a globally respected independent record label, Single Lock Records has held firm to the original goal: gathering and releasing interesting, challenging Southern American music-- regardless of genre. Based in the Florence/Muscle Shoals area of North Alabama, Single Lock draws on the musical heritage of the Shoals and pushes it into the 21st century, combining the efforts of creative legacies and young trailblazers to redefine the music of our region. Dreamt up by musicians, founded by musicians and run by musicians, the label pushes for fairness in their business dealings and transparency with their artists. Started as, simply, a co-op, the label found it’s audience and had to grow up fast. Single Lock’s first major success was St. Paul andamp; the Broken Bones’ debut LP, Half the City. Later successes include Donnie Fritts’ Oh My Goodness, Dylan LeBlanc’s Cautionary Tale, Erin Rae’s Americana-nominated Putting On Airs, and Cedric Burnside’s GRAMMY-nominated Benton County Relic. 

Secretly is a group of affiliated music and culture companies, including Secretly Group, Secretly Distribution, The Numero Group and Ghostly International. Founded in 1996, Secretly has a global team of close to 150 employees with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bloomington, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. Secretly Group, comprised of Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Secretly Canadian and Secretly Publishing, partners with and facilitates storytelling for a diverse group of artists, writers, filmmakers, producers and comedians, including Bon Iver, Mitski, Whitney, Phoebe Bridgers, Anohni, Jamila Woods, Angel Olsen, Slowdive, Moses Sumney, Tig Notaro, Khruangbin and Sharon Van Etten, to name a few. In addition to multiple Grammy, Mercury Prize, and Brit Awards nominations, Secretly Group artists have earned over nine Gold and Platinum records. Secretly Distribution is a leading global distribution platform for hundreds of artists and labels, including Captured Tracks, Asthmatic Kitty, Sacred Bones, Run For Cover, Temporary Residence Ltd., Touch and Go Records and more.