AWAL, Kobalt’s recording company, today announced a worldwide partnership with Round Here Records, a newly-formed label created by trailblazing Florida Georgia Line superstars Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard. 

Founded as a new branch of the creative vision which also includes Kelley and Hubbard’s emerging Tree Vibez Music (TVM) publishing house, Round Here Records and its new partnership with AWAL will hit the ground running to launch platinum recording artist Canaan Smith – the proven hitmaker and artist behind 2014’s #1 Country smash, “Love You Like That.” As part of the deal, AWAL will provide Smith with a full range of services, including global marketing, campaign coordination, synch licensing and worldwide distribution. 

“We continue to grow our presence as well as our commitment to the Nashville music scene,” says AWAL North American President, Ron Cerrito. “Brian and Tyler are incredible musicians, renowned songwriters and extremely business savvy. They are a true creative force in the industry that is surrounded by an incredible team – their business model and artist-first approach are a perfect match with our global capabilities and core values. Canaan is an amazing artist with hundreds of millions of streams and a #1 radio hit, and we’re proud to welcome him to the AWAL family.” 

As an outgrowth of the success of Tree Vibez Music – founded by Kelley and Hubbard in 2015 – Round Here Records was created as a new artist-first platform for unleashing the music of TVM’s artist-songwriter arsenal. That growing lineup is not limited to any specific type of genre, and holds a hunger to stay creative, work hard and bring the good vibes at its heart – a mantra which will also hold true for Round Here Records. So far, the TVM writers have penned nine #1 songs for artists like Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Blake Shelton and Mitchell Tenpenny, and pioneered new practices in co-writing aboard the Tree Vibez Music Bus. But now, it’s time to chart their own creative course. 

“We’ve been jamming to all the songs the TVM writers have been cranking out. BK and I believe that great songs are the fuel behind every great artist, and every successful label, so we figured since our TVM family has the fuel— let’s light the fire,” exclaims Hubbard. “Round Here Records feels right and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with AWAL.” 

Kelley adds, “We are always pushing ourselves to be creative, elevate our business ventures, and continue to pay it forward. We’ve seen first-hand Canaan’s pure talent both in the writing room and out on the road. Tyler and I couldn’t be more proud to have him lead off Round Here Records. Let’s go!”

A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Smith earned his first Top 10 hit as a songwriter with Love and Theft’s 2009 debut, “Runaway.” He’s built on that success with more co-written hits including cuts by Jason Aldean, FGL and Cole Swindell – as well as Big Loud Records/Atlantic Records breakout star Mason Ramsey, who has made the Smith co-write “Famous” into a viral smash in 18 countries. As an artist, Smith’s co-written 2014 platinum  single “Love You Like That” hit #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and his recent fan-favorite tune “This Night Back” has racked up over 30 million digital streams and counting. To celebrate his new deal, Smith has dropped today (8/15) the rowdy song “Beer Drinkin’ Weather,” with more fresh music set to roll out soon. Catch Smith as the featured opener on FGL’s massive CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY TOUR through September. 

To learn more about Canaan Smith’s tour dates and other details, visit hiswebsite.