Empire acquires Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label
Independent label, distributor and publisher Empire has announced the acquisition of Claude VonStroke‘s Dirtybird label.
Founded in 2005 in San Francisco, Dirtybird has released artists such as Fisher, Shiba San, Nala, Nikki Nair, Eats Everything and VonStroke himself (aka Barclay Crenshaw), who will continue to own and run all of the Dirtybird live events and festival brands.
“I’m so excited to join another incredible independent Bay Area music company,” said Barclay Crenshaw, CEO and founder of Dirtybird. “I will continue to A&R the Dirtybird label and direct the creative for the music and clothing, while Empire has the capacity and resources to grow the brand globally. This is a dream come true.”
For Empire, the acquisition marks the group’s first entry into the dance music scene, having already built a presence in hip hop, R&B, Latin, country and afrobeats.
“Growing up in San Francisco and the Bay Area at large, dance music has always been a huge part of our music scene,” said Ghazi, CEO and Founder of Empire. “Empire at its core is a company that is for the culture. Dirtybird embodies the independent ethos and understands the cultural nuance of everything San Francisco and dance music.”
Dirtybird was previously named ‘Label of the Decade’ by Mixmag as well as Label of the Year twice at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami. As well as music, the brand also releases clothing, festivals, art, web3 and more.
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