[PIAS] founders Kenny Gates & Michel Lambot honoured as ‘indie champions’ at AIM Awards 2022 & unveil first 40th Anniversary plans

London, 3rd October 2022 [PIAS], one of the world’s leading independent music companies, has announced details of its 40^th anniversary celebrations in the wake of its two founders receiving the prestigious ‘Indie Champion’ award at last week’s AIM Awards 2022 in London last week.

Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot launched [PIAS], then known as Play It Again Sam, from a Brussels basement in 1982. Originally an importer of vinyl records from UK independent labels the company quickly grew into a key European marketing and distribution outlet for the burgeoning independent music sector, with its own successful recordings division.

Now with 16 offices in every major music market around the world, [PIAS] has over 280 employees, a burgeoning frontline records division [PIAS] Label Group and distribution services [Integral].

The AIM Awards 2022 ceremony was held at The Roundhouse in London on Wednesday 28^th September, with Kenny and Michel presented with their award onstage.

Kenny Gates said, “Michel and I feel very humbled to receive this award from AIM. Music remains our passion and we have always made it our core mission to serve the independent community, so to be recognised in this way by our friends and peers is a real honour.”

[PIAS] are also planning to announce a number of activities to celebrate its 40^th anniversary. An extensive program of releases, an interactive dedicated anniversary website, special live events and much more, will be revealed in the coming weeks and months as the company marks four decades at the forefront of independent music.

Michel Lambot said, “It is scarcely believable that 40 years have passed since Kenny and I launched our company from such humble beginnings. We are going to have some real fun over the next 12 months looking back on those adventures with some amazing re-releases, some great live events and a lot of surprises!”

[PIAS] will be announcing full details of a special 40^th anniversary albums reissues series shortly, but the first release to be unveiled as part of this project will be the iconic 2manydjs release As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt.2. With ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Album of the Decade’ accolades from the likes of The New York Times, Spin, The Face, Pitchfork and more, and shifting over half a million copies globally, [PIAS] will reissue a deluxe version of As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt.2., with Richard Young’s iconic original photography now liberated from a long running legal dispute. In addition, for the first time ever, the album will be made available on streaming platforms.