Photo Credit: Arden Records (Andrew Kwan, Jordan Smith, sagun)
Lo-fi specialists Arden Records announces an expansion with the launch of its new publishing arm to buoy its artists.
Arden Records, whose name translates to “Great Forest,” proudly stands as one of the only artist-first lo-fi music labels since launching in 2021 in partnership with Platoon. The label has since cultivated an ecosystem dedicated solely to the increasingly-popular lo-fi genre — one that champions creativity and human touch from artists, producers, and songwriters while providing them a one-of-a-kind space to connect.
Founded by Nepalese artist sagun — a pioneering figure in the lo-fi music scene — and veteran music executives Jordan Smith (S+ MGMT), and Andrew Kwan (Romantic Music Group), Arden Records and Arden Publishing boasts a roster of lo-fi talent. These include sagun, clay house, DAVI JUNO, French WiFi, Maono, mellodaze, NueBoo, pecna, Sleep Culture, The Tea Shop, Trankilo, URCHN, and wrongnumber.
Lo-fi music has seen a steady rise in popularity in recent years, and with it, producers and songwriters from the genre have become a sought-after commodity in their own right. The fingerprint of lo-fi artists continues to permeate across the music industry. To that end, Arden’s own sagun produced and co-wrote UMI’s hit 2024 single, “wherever u r,” featuring V from BTS. Lo-fi remixes and ambient song versions have breathed new life into existing music in a way that mainstream audiences are increasingly embracing.
Through the launch of their publishing division, Arden will lift up their producers and songwriters as artists themselves, and create more opportunities for them as lo-fi music continues to ascend within the larger cultural conversation.
“In our eyes, Arden Records was built on necessity,” says co-founder Jordan Smith. “The way certain labels in the space were treating and ‘supporting’ artists and producers was never cultivating community or a space that made them feel valued.”
“After three years of seeing how powerful a unified roster of artists can be, we are only now launching our publishing arm to explore a new creative workflow for our Arden Records’ family,” Smith continues. “There are so many companies that offer admin deals for royalty collection, so of course that is part of what we are going to do to make sure our roster gets their royalties, but our main goal is far beyond that. We only hope to educate other teams on how powerful alternate versions of songs can be and how talented our producers are and become a go-to for any production needs.”
“Our mission as a label has always been to showcase the diverse and undeniable talents of our artists, elevating them beyond the boundaries of the lo-fi genre,” adds co-founder Andrew Kwan. “In an industry increasingly saturated with AI-generated music — especially within the lo-fl genre — we remain steadfast in championing our artists, ensuring their authentic musicianship receives the recognition it deserves. Now, through the launch of our publishing venture, we are excited to continue this mission from a fresh and dynamic perspective.”
“The main goal for Andrew, Jordan, and I while starting this beautiful label, Arden Records, together was to help other artists grow and success on the visions that they have,” concludes sagun. “I’m excited to have our own publishing side because that will protect our artists’ creative rights and will reduce the complexities of claiming royalties. Having less to worry about as an artist outside of their creative endeavors eventually leads to new opportunities that help them grow.”