Warner Music Poland has taken a minority stake in BIG Idea, one of the country’s leading concert and festival promoters. BIG Idea works with leading talent agencies and has organized concerts that have been engaged with by 3.4 million people, with performances by artists including Anderson .Paak, Denzel Curry, Ghostemane, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Mobb Deep, Playboi Carti, The Game, Trippie Redd and many more.
The deal will see the companies work together to launch a new festivals and expand the line-ups of BIG Idea’s existing Yass! Festival and other events. They will also collaborate to expand BIG Idea’s merch business and booking operations, as well as developing its NFT-powered Live Entertainment Ecosystem.
BIG Idea is focused on Poland’s burgeoning hip-hop scene and built a name for itself by being a leader at bringing major American artists into the country. Organising shows with individual attendances of up to 20,000 fans, BIG Idea has played an active role in helping hip-hop become hugely popular in Poland in recent years.
The company was founded in 2012 by Sławek Ostruszka, an exec with huge experience in Poland’s live music business. Slawek is also behind CLOUT Festival in Warsaw, the first ever festival in Poland dedicated to worldwide trap, bringing in international acts such as City Morgue, Ferg, Fivio Foreign, Jack Harlow, Key Glock, SoFaygo and UnoTheActivist, as well as Warner Music Poland’s White Widow.
Adrian Ciepichał, Managing Director of Warner Music Poland, says: “We’re always looking to do more for our artists and this deal will enable us to do just that. We’re going to collaborate with BIG Idea to pour rocket fuel on the success of individual artists and grow the wider local hip-hop scene. I’m looking forward to welcoming new artists to our local roster and helping them find a wider audience in Poland and internationally.”
This deal comes as Warner Music Poland is expanding its roster of hip-hop artists. An early beneficiary of the partnership is White Widow, a fast-rising Polish hip-hop group, managed by BIG idea, who have signed a record deal with Warner Music Poland. In total, the deal will see some two dozen acts either sign directly with, or be distributed by, Warner Music Poland, as BIG Idea also has a growing artist and booking management side of the business that works with the likes of NOON, Rizi Beizeti, Vkie, Young Multi and Yung Adisz. All of the artists on the roster will have opportunity to offer various NFT collectibles and experiences through BIG Idea and its partners.
Sławek Ostruszka, CEO of BIG Idea, adds: “This partnership will help accelerate the growth of BIG Idea and benefit the whole hip-hop community in Poland. Fans will be able to enjoy even bigger, better shows and more artists will get the opportunity to make a huge impact with fans. As live music emerges from the shadow of the pandemic, this feels like the right time to go for growth.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, President, Emerging Markets, Warner Recorded Music, concludes: “The music market in Poland is changing rapidly and growing fast. Our partnership with Sławek and the BIG Idea team places us at the heart of the Polish hip-hop scene and will enable us to offer an amazing value proposition to its artists. Together, we’ll make a real cultural and commercial impact with a new wave of talent that it is discovering its own voice.”
