As CMA Fest launches in Nashville this week, GoDigital Music have started their celebrations a little early, announcing the launch of their new Nashville-based country imprint, Orinda.
Marking the company's expansion into the genre, they've launched proceedings with the signing of genre-bending artist Nic D.
With nearly five million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, and with a penchant for blending hip hop, pop and alternative music with traditional country elements, Nic D's signing comes ahead of his new release, Slow Down Fast, which arrives on June 26th.
“Launching Orinda and expanding into country is a deliberate step in GoDigital Music’s long-term vision to invest in culturally influential genres and independent artists shaping today’s music landscape,” says GoDigital Music CEO Logan Mulvey.
“Country music has experienced meaningful changes in recent years and we saw a natural opportunity to continue fueling that momentum.
"Orinda is designed to be a lasting home for artists who are redefining the genre, providing them the infrastructure, creative support and global reach to scale their careers, while staying true to their storytelling and identity.”
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Speaking to Countrytown, Orinda's General Manager Cooper Lycan explains that the goal of the label is ultimately to help artists build something sustainable instead of just grabbing the one-off viral moments.
"Orinda is a modern country label and growth partner built to develop artists the way startups are built: with strong creative and release strategy, real marketing execution, and the distribution muscle to support long-term careers," he explains.
It's this goal, and their fondness of hard-to-categorise artists, that helped to inspire the creation of Orinda, and what sets it apart from others in the industry.
"There's a huge gap between the traditional label model, which can move slowly and control everything, and artist-services companies that provide tools but don't actually help build the business," Lycan says. "Orinda sits in the middle. We're hands-on, operator-led, fast-moving, and accountable.
"We work alongside artists with a clear plan and a focus on execution, while structuring deals that keep everyone aligned on long-term outcomes. Creatively, we also see a real opportunity for genre-blending artists with country roots. Right now, there isn't a natural home for a lot of those artists.
"The people we're drawn to don't fit neatly into a single sonic category," he adds. "They might pull from country, rap, pop, rock, or something else entirely, but country remains part of their foundation. That's the space we're excited to help build."
By his own admission, Lycan isn't the typical person you'd expect to see in the music industry.
Growing up in the north-eastern state of Maine, he started his career in the military, serving in Special Operations with the Army Ranger Regiment. However, he chose Fort Campbell, just north of Nashville, solely so he could be close to the country music scene.
"After leaving the military, I spent five years building a consumer app in the sports-betting space," he explains. "It was a fast-paced environment that taught me a lot about growth, customer acquisition, and what it takes to build products people keep coming back to.
"While raising capital for that business, I also developed a deeper understanding of investing, risk, and how to evaluate long-term opportunities. Music pulled me back in through the artists and creative community around Nashville.
"At the same time, I realised music is one of the most powerful assets in the world when it's paired with the right story and strategy," he adds. "I became fascinated by that intersection and haven't looked back since."
With a love of country music instilled within him from a young age ("It's storytelling without the mask," he says. "The best country songs say the quiet part out loud, and that's what I've always connected to."), Lycan's unconventional route ironically puts him in a very unique position with a very specialised set of skills to operate as a power figure within the music scene.
"The military taught me discipline and how to stay steady when things get chaotic," he explains. "Startups taught me how to move fast, tell a story, and build something from scratch with limited resources.
"As I spent more time around artists, I realised a lot of them didn't necessarily need more services, they just needed a true partner. Someone who could help them make good decisions, execute consistently, and build momentum over time.
"That's really where Orinda came from. We wanted to create the kind of company we felt was missing: a place that combines strategy, execution, and genuine partnership for artists building long-term careers."
This ability to be swift and to make calculated decisions is where both Lycan's professional history, and the connection with GoDigital Music combine. In short, it's part of the secret sauce that GoDigital Music brings to artists in a sea of artist services models that are popping up.
"GoDigital gives artists real infrastructure, not just promises," Lycan explains. "That means global distribution, strong industry relationships, deep data and analytics capabilities, rights-management and finance expertise, and a scalable marketing and operations backbone.
"The difference is that we combine that infrastructure with speed and flexibility. We can move quickly, make smart decisions, and build systems that create momentum from one release to the next. It's not about chasing a single win, it's about creating something that compounds over time."
It's this mentality of chasing a single win that is where Lycan feels some artists and labels are falling down. Instead of building a narrative, they're focusing on the short-term, and aren't utilising proper insight to generate usable momentum.
"They're posting constantly, but they don't always have a clear identity, a repeatable release strategy, or a system for turning attention into actual fans and long-term momentum," he explains.
"Content matters, but without a bigger story and a clear path for audience growth, it's easy to end up busy without really moving forward."
As the industry moves forward, so too will Orinda as more artists join the stable. But, looking ahead to the short term, where does Lycan see the industry positioning itself in five years time? And likewise, which trends will Orinda be best positioned to take advantage of?
"I think we'll see more independent infrastructure, more direct-to-fan monetisation, more global breakout country artists, and an even wider gap between artists who have systems in place and those who don't," he explains. "Orinda is built for that future.
"We're focused on faster release cycles, audience-building strategies that compound over time, smart marketing, and career development that treats artists as enduring brands rather than short-term campaigns."
Follow Orinda for further updates and signings. The label’s first release, Nic D’s Slow Down Fast, will arrive on June 26th.
