High-profile New York music label Republic Records has launched a kids and family division and plans to use its considerable industry muscle to build a roster of artists to serve a growing co-listening audience.

The new division, which opened its doors on August 19, is headed up by Bree Bowles, the company’s former VP of marketing and strategy. She will report to Republic Records co-president Jim Roppo. Bowles joined the company in February but had previously worked at Nickelodeon and Disney in various media and programming roles.

Republic Records is home to some of pop music’s biggest artists (Ariana Grande, Drake, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, etc.), many of whom already boast sizable kid fan bases. The label has also released soundtracks for well-known movies like Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures) and shows such as The Voice (NBC TV). It hasn’t shared the names of any artists who will be associated with the new division yet, saying that “major releases and partnerships will be announced soon.”

Children’s music has taken off in the pandemic era as parents have sought out off-screen entertainment options for their kids. Last week, LA-based United Talent Agency released new data showing that the average number of people listening to kids music on Spotify has grown by 16% since 2021, and nearly half of the parents UTA surveyed for its study said they would like to see more music-based products and content for children in the market.