The Hotel That is Also a Record Label?

The W Hotel chain debuted its own W Records on Tuesday, and announced the first of four artists they will be signing this year, Amber Mark, a New York-based R&B singer-songwriter. Mark has already recorded two songs in the W Sound Suite, on-site recording studios which are available in several cities, to be released in the Fall.

W Hotels also announced their own music festival, Wake Up Call, the first of which was held from September 1-3 in Hollywood. The festival boasts "Moments" artist access, a curated selection of food and drink, and 24/7 service. Passes are available for Wake Up Call in Barcelona and Bali.

W Records is yet another screw in the traditional record-label model. Progress is inevitable, and in this case offers more options for artists looking to try a new route. In an interview with the Rolling Stone, W global brand ambassador said that W records "represents a complete 360-degree approach to our innovative music programming — one in which we support emerging talent, provide them a place to record, distribute their music and act as a live venue.”