Believe U.K. and Tileyard Music have teamed up to launch Tenace Records, a new boutique label formed through a joint venture between the two companies.
The label will be spearheaded by Charlie Arme and Michael Harwood, co-presidents and founders of management, publishing, and record company Tileyard Music, and will leverage Believe’s global distribution artist services alongside Tileyard’s own A&R operation.
Chris Dashwood is appointed general manager of Tenace Records. Dashwood joins from Universal Music, where he served as marketing director overseeing major catalogue campaigns for artists including ABBA, The Beatles, Bob Marley and Elton John.
The marketing team is led by Dashwood alongside product manager Isabella Evans. The A&R team is headed by Cathy Mathalone, working with Kirsty Twiner, Tashai Jackson, Agapi Melkonian and Abbie Humphries. Tileyard Music managing director Neil Hughes and financial controller Gary Over are also lined up to support the venture.
Tenace Records will be headquartered at Tileyard London, a creative hub near King’s Cross which houses more than 150 recording studios alongside a series of music businesses. The label will focus primarily on new signings, with releases supported through global digital and physical distribution.
The news arrives alongside the announcement that Pale Waves are Tenace Records’ first signing. The Manchester-formed band was previously signed with Dirty Hit, through which it released four studio albums: My Mind Makes Noises (2018), Who Am I? (2021), Unwanted (2022) and Smitten (2024), all of which debuted within the top 20 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
The band is set to support Louis Tomlinson on the U.K. and Europe leg of his forthcoming How Did I Get Here? tour, which kicks off at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany on March 23. Previously, the act performed at festivals including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds.
In a statement, Paul Trueman, director of artist services at Believe U.K., said the partnership combines “Tileyard Music’s outstanding track record of nurturing creative talent” with Believe’s global infrastructure. He continued: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Charlie, Michael and the Tileyard Music team on this new joint venture. Tenace Records represents a powerful and forward-thinking addition to the UK label landscape and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the Believe family.”
Arme added: “We are thrilled to partner with Believe on Tenace Records. This partnership combines our tenacity with Believe’s global infrastructure and builds on an already successful relationship between Tileyard Music Publishing and Believe Music Publishing. From every meeting and conversation with Alex Kennedy, Paul Trueman, and Karishma Anand, our visions align perfectly.
“Building on our experience as managers, we understand that today’s success requires both curated A&R and world-class marketing execution, all whilst supporting managers and artists with their vision.”
Believe Music Publishing launched in 2025, more than two years after Believe acquired U.K.-based publisher Sentric Music Group.
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