Dirty Hit, the UK-born independent record label behind acts like The 1975, is opening its first European office in Berlin, Germany.
The new office will be led by NouraLabbani, who brings more than 15 years of experience spanning artist development, label management, and digital strategy.
Labbani previously held roles at Beatport, DICE and Patreon. She takes the title of EU Label Manager at Dirty Hit, according to an announcement on Thursday (April 30).
Founded in 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Dirty Hit also has offices in London, Los Angeles, and Tokyo.
Dirty Hit said that Labbani’s hire signals a “renewed commitment to continue growing the label across mainland Europe”, with the “ongoing support” of long-term distribution partner Virgin Music.
Labbani will lead Dirty Hit’s European operations for its full roster, which includes The 1975, Bleachers, Beabadoobee, Kelsey Lu, Rina Sawayama, and The Japanese House, while also contributing to the continued growth of dh2, the new electronic imprint led by The 1975’s drummer GeorgeDaniel.
dh2 has spent the past 18 months building a presence through club nights in London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Paris, and taking over Glastonbury Festival’s San Remo last year, Dirty Hit said.
NouraLabbani, Dirty Hit, EU Label Manager, said: “I’m excited to be joining Dirty Hit and launching their Berlin office. It’s the ideal place to build from and connect more closely with artists and audiences across Europe.”
“I’m excited to be joining Dirty Hit and launching their Berlin office. It’s the ideal place to build from and connect more closely with artists and audiences across Europe.”
Noura Labbani, Dirty Hit
JamieOborne, Dirty Hit, Founder & Owner, added: “We’re incredibly happy to have Noura Labbani joining the team as EU Label Manager.
“Berlin has always been a city where new ideas take shape and culture moves forward, and opening our EU office here feels instinctive—it’s about being part of that energy and building closer relationships with artists and audiences across Europe.”
Oborne signed singer, songwriter and record producer JackAntonoff, a long-time collaborator of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, as well as his band, Bleachers, in 2023. Oborne and Antonoff also formed a label joint venture to sign other artists, while Bleachers have signed to the Dirty Hit label.
“Berlin has always been a city where new ideas take shape and culture moves forward, and opening our EU office here feels instinctive—it’s about being part of that energy and building closer relationships with artists and audiences across Europe.”
Jamie Oborne, Dirty Hit
In 2024, Oborne told MBW: “Don’t sign things you don’t fully believe in. Otherwise you’ll have to fake it.”
The expansion to Germany comes as the country’s recorded music revenues rose 2.3%YoY to EUR €2.42 billion (USD $2.73 billion at the average exchange rate for 2025) in 2025, according to German Music Industry Association, BVMI, in March.
Music streaming was the market’s primary growth driver in 2025, with streaming revenues growing 4.1% YoY to €2 billion ($2.26 billion). Streaming alone accounted for 84.4% of total recorded music revenues in Germany.
