Kirsty Lee Akers forms independent label, Rider Records

Golden Guitar award-winner, Kirsty Lee Akers is forming her own record label, Rider Records. Nardia Drayton and the team at independent record label, Social Family Records will partner with Akers on the project, entering a distribution agreement, and her long-time manager Perrin Finlay-Brown and Aker’s husband Jesse Anderson will come on board as directors.

She says, “Nearly every artist subconsciously measures care factor by what’s in their rider. It’s a lottery. Is it water in a plastic cup, or a bottle of champagne and a fruit platter? When I was thinking about a name, Rider just fit. We will always make sure the artist feels a 100% care factor and gets what they deserve on our projects.”

She continues, “I have always wanted total control of my destiny as an artist. I have had some great label support over my career, but it is never the same as when you can just call the shots yourself. The time is right to make the leap. Coming off the Golden Guitar win late January; I feel like it was now or never.”

On the official website, Rider Records is described as a “niche Australia record label – where the artist’s needs always come first.”

Akers signed to Social Family Records in 2018, with whom she released her fifth album, Under My Skin. The album, which saw her in the producer’s seat for the first time, landed at #3 on the iTunes Country and ARIA Australian Country Albums chart upon release (as well as #5 ARIA Country Album, #8 ARIA Australian Album, and #29 all-genre ARIA Albums chart). She has previously been signed to Compass Brothers and Maven Records/Sony Music Australia.

Akers and Anderson are currently competing on season 17 of The Block. Filming of the Logie-winning reality series began on February 28, with the married couple winning the first challenge giving them the first choice of one-of-five houses up for renovation.

Last year’s winners of The Block, Jimmy and Tam, took home $1,066,000 when their property hit auction – the biggest cash prize in Australian TV – after their home sold for $4,256,000.

Follow Kirsty Lee Akers on her Facebook page here.

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