Tim Hinshaw, whose Free Lunch has launched a namesake label in partnership with Warner Records. Photo Credit: Rashida Zagon
Warner Records has officially launched a label in partnership with Tim Hinshaw’s Free Lunch Agency creative studio.
The Warner Music Group subsidiary reached out today with word of the newly minted label, Free Lunch Records. Previously Amazon Music’s head of hip-hop and R&B, Hinshaw established the overarching Free Lunch in 2023.
2024 then saw the “creative and touring company” ink a deal with AEG Presents. Under that pact, Free Lunch (which, at least as of June 2024, counted Amazon Music as a client) is “securing and marketing hip-hop, R&B and gospel tours for the” Anschutz Entertainment Group subsidiary.
Now, Free Lunch and Warner Records are looking to leverage those multifaceted operations on the label side. Though the involved parties didn’t dive too far into their exact plans here, they did indicate that nearly four-year Warner Records A&R SVP Ericka Coulter will continue in that role while simultaneously serving as Free Lunch Records’ GM.
Additionally, Free Lunch confirmed its first two label signings: Syd (real name Sydney Bennett) and Alex Isley (the daughter of the Isley Brothers’ Ernie Isley). Syd’s latter studio album, Broken Hearts Club, debuted in 2022 via Sony Music’s Columbia; Alex Isley released 2023’s I Left My Heart in Ladera with Terrace Martin via BMG and Martin’s Sounds of Crenshaw.
Addressing the agreement, Warner Records co-chair and CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck touted the “perfect synergy” between his company and Free Lunch.
“Tom [Corson, COO of Warner Records] and I are thrilled to welcome Tim and his Free Lunch team to the label,” said Bay-Schuck. “His expertise stretches far beyond finding and nurturing talent – he knows how to make sure his artists are making an impact.
“Early on in our conversations, it was clear bringing Tim and Free Lunch into the Warner fold would be a perfect synergy. Tim is immersed in the vast culture of hip-hop and R&B, across music, sports, fashion, and live entertainment, and together we’ll work towards our shared goal of uplifting the best and brightest in the genre,” the Warner Records head concluded.
And in remarks of his own, Hinshaw touched on his ambitious long-term vision for the tie-up.
“By uniting Free Lunch Agency with Warner Records,” Hinshaw relayed, “we can combine our expertise in creative, music, and brand building to elevate the first-class roster. What Aaron, Tom, and the team have built is truly impressive, and together we’ll expand the scope of artist narratives to connect even more deeply with fans across the globe.”