Arts & Crafts (record label)
Encyclopedia
Arts & Crafts Productions is a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

-based independent artist services company, offering expertise as an independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

, management firm, merchandiser and music publisher both in Canada and internationally. Launched in 2002 with the release of Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...

's critically acclaimed album You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It In People is a 2002 album by Broken Social Scene. It followed Feel Good Lost, and was the band's commercial breakthrough...

, Arts & Crafts has released more than 50 albums from 30 artists, earning 15 JUNO Awards along the way. Arts & Crafts is regularly touted as one of Canada's most important record labels.

History

Arts & Crafts (also referred to as "A&C") was launched as a music company in 2002 by friends Jeffrey Remedios, a former Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 executive and Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene...

, who co-founded flagship group Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...

 (BSS) with Brendan Canning
Brendan Canning
Brendan Canning is a founding member of Broken Social Scene and a veteran indie rock performer who has been a member of various notable bands including By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, Len, and hHead....

. The partnership was originally intended as a vehicle for self-release and artist management of Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...

's breakthrough album You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It In People is a 2002 album by Broken Social Scene. It followed Feel Good Lost, and was the band's commercial breakthrough...

, and the structure quickly formed as a platform to release albums and manage the careers of artists directly affiliated with members of Broken Social Scene. In addition to BSS albums the labels first releases were by Stars, Jason Collett
Jason Collett
Jason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums, and is a member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, Rat a Tat Tat, was released in March, 2010.-Early life:...

, Feist
Leslie Feist
Leslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene....

, Apostle of Hustle
Apostle of Hustle
Apostle of Hustle is a Canadian indie rock group, formed in 2001 by Andrew Whiteman.-History:The band is more or less the brainchild of Andrew Whiteman, who has been in such groups as Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and Que Vida. He released a solo effort titled Fear of Zen in 1995. He is also the lead...

 and Valley of the Giants
Valley of the Giants (band)
Valley of the Giants is a Canadian post-rock supergroup formed in Lanark Highlands, Ontario, Canada, in early 2002. The group is composed of members from Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion, Do Make Say Think, Shalabi Effect and Strawberry...

.

In 2005 The Most Serene Republic
The Most Serene Republic
The Most Serene Republic is a Canadian indie rock band based in Milton, Ontario. It takes its name from the sobriquet of formerly independent Venice under the Doges, which was regarded as "The Most Serene Republic of Venice".-Members:...

 was the first band unrelated to Broken Social Scene to sign to Arts & Crafts and officially marked a shift of scope broader than the projects related to Broken Social Scene.

A&C began its foray into the digital music business launching GalleryAC.com in 2005, a boutique web store that offered digital downloads and Arts & Crafts related merchandise. They were one of the first labels to launch a digital download store.

In 2004, Remedios expanded the operation into Montreal basing himself out of the offices of DKD who later partnered to form Arts & Crafts International, releasing the gold selling album Set Yourself on Fire
Set Yourself on Fire
Set Yourself on Fire is the third album by Canadian indie rock band Stars. It was released in 2004 on the Arts & Crafts International record label in Canada and the United Kingdom, and in 2005 in the United States....

by Montreal based group, Stars.

Arts & Crafts were among the first labels to offer a strategy for combating advance music leaks by offering Stars follow-up album In Our Bedroom After the War
In Our Bedroom After the War
In Our Bedroom After the War is the fourth studio album by Stars, released on September 25, 2007 on the Arts & Crafts record label. It was released to digital retailers on July 10, 2007, in an attempt to battle the album's leak...

for sale before promotional copies were ever manufactured and distributed by issuing wide release as a digital download only 3 days following album completion.

In 2009 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

cited Remedios as a key insider reshaping the future of the music biz.

Arts & Crafts Music (also known as GalleryAC Music) controls or administers the publishing rights to much of the music released by the Arts & Crafts label.

The "Toronto Music Scene"

Documented in the 2009 release of This Book Is Broken
This Book Is Broken
This Book Is Broken is a book written by Eye Weekly editor Stuart Berman about the Toronto indie rock band Broken Social Scene, from its inception to its critical acclaim....

(House of Anansi Press
House of Anansi Press
House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction....

) The International media focus on Toronto based indie bands.

The Arts & Crafts Aesthetic

A design house, Arts & Crafts is well known for a consistent look and quality to all releases. Design and art are important to the company, and are taken as another medium of artistic expression that the label supports.
A&C has been nominated for two JUNO Awards for Album Artwork of the year. In 2006 for Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...

: Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene (album)
Broken Social Scene is the third studio album by Broken Social Scene, released on October 4, 2005. The album was originally to be titled Windsurfing Nation....

(Louise Upperton (Director/Designer); Christopher Mills, Kevin Drew, Justin Peroff (Illustrators)) and in 2009 for Constantines
Constantines
-History:The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder...

: Kensington Heights
Kensington Heights
Kensington Heights is the fourth full-length album by the Constantines. It was released on the Arts & Crafts record label April 15, 2008 in Canada, and April 29, 2008 in the US.The track "Hard Feelings" was released as the album's first single....

" (Dallas Wherle, Robyn Kotyk and Alex Vs. Alex). In 2011, Kotyk, Peroff, Charles Spearin, Joe McKay, Jimmy Collins and Elisabeth Chicoine were awarded the Recording Package of the Year Juno for Broken Social Scene's Forgiveness Rock Record box set.

Gold & Platinum Certifications

Stars Set Yourself On Fire
Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...

Gold 50,000

Broken Social Scene You Forgot It in People
Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...

Gold 50,000

Feist Let It Die
Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...

Platinum 100,000

Feist The Reminder
Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...

2X Platinum 200,000

Juno Awards

The Juno Awards are presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is the organization responsible for conducting the Juno Awards, Canada's primary national musical honours...

. Arts & Crafts artists have won a total of 15 Juno Awards over eight years.
|-
| || Broken Social Scene You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It in People
You Forgot It In People is a 2002 album by Broken Social Scene. It followed Feel Good Lost, and was the band's commercial breakthrough...

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| || Broken Social Scene "Stars and Sons" || Video of the Year ||
|-
|| Stars Heart
Heart (Stars album)
Heart is an album by the Canadian indie rock band Stars, released on Paper Bag Records in Canada and on Arts & Crafts in the USA.The album features three regional covers; the Canadian cover features a man embracing a woman resting on his lap, the US cover features a billboard with a girl's eyes...

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| || Feist One Evening
One Evening (Feist song)
"One Evening" is a single released in 2005 by Canadian singer Feist . It is the second single from her 2004 album Let It Die. The b-side is a cover of the Bee Gees' 1979 hit "Love You Inside Out", later released as its own single....

|| Video of the Year ||
|-
|| Feist Let It Die
Let It Die
-Personnel:* Gonzales – piano, various instruments* Feist – guitar, vocals* Julien Chirol – trombone* Frédéric Coudere – saxophone-Album:...

 || Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
|| Feist || New Artist Of The Year ||
|-
|| Stars Set Yourself On Fire
Set Yourself on Fire
Set Yourself on Fire is the third album by Canadian indie rock band Stars. It was released in 2004 on the Arts & Crafts International record label in Canada and the United Kingdom, and in 2005 in the United States....

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| ||rowspan="2"| Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene (album)
Broken Social Scene is the third studio album by Broken Social Scene, released on October 4, 2005. The album was originally to be titled Windsurfing Nation....

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
| CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year ||
|-
| Feist Inside and Out
Inside and Out
"Inside and Out" is a single released in 2005 by Canadian singer Feist. It is the third single from her 2004 album Let It Die. The song is a cover of the Bee Gees' 1979 hit "Love You Inside Out".-Song information:...

|| Single of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| ||rowspan="2"| Feist The Reminder
The Reminder
The Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada....

|| Album of the Year ||
|-
| Pop Album of the Year ||
|-
| Feist 1,2,3,4
1234 (song)
"1234" is a song from Feist's third studio album, The Reminder. It is Feist's most successful single to date. The song was co-written by Sally Seltmann, an Australian singer-songwriter who also recorded under the name New Buffalo, and Feist...

|| Single of the Year ||
|-
| Feist || Songwriter of the Year ||
|-
| Feist || Artist of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| || The Stills Oceans Will Rise
Oceans Will Rise
Oceans Will Rise is the third and most recent album by Montreal band The Stills, released August 19, 2008.In late 2007, Toronto-based record label Arts & Crafts signed the band to a worldwide recording deal...

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
|The Stills || New Group Of The Year ||
|-
| Constantines Kensington Heights
Kensington Heights
Kensington Heights is the fourth full-length album by the Constantines. It was released on the Arts & Crafts record label April 15, 2008 in Canada, and April 29, 2008 in the US.The track "Hard Feelings" was released as the album's first single....

|| CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year ||
|-
| Feist || Juno Fan Choice Award ||
|-
| Feist Honey Honey || Video of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| || Amy Millan Masters Of The Burial
Masters of the Burial
Masters of the Burial is the second solo album from Canadian musician Amy Millan of Stars and Broken Social Scene. It was released in Canada on September 8, 2009, on the Arts & Crafts label and features guest performances by Stars bandmate Evan Cranley, Leslie Feist and others.Produced by Martin...

|| Adult Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
| Amy Millan Masters Of The Burial
Masters of the Burial
Masters of the Burial is the second solo album from Canadian musician Amy Millan of Stars and Broken Social Scene. It was released in Canada on September 8, 2009, on the Arts & Crafts label and features guest performances by Stars bandmate Evan Cranley, Leslie Feist and others.Produced by Martin...

|| Recording Package Of The Year ||
|-
| Bell Orchestre As Seen Through Windows
As Seen Through Windows
As Seen Through Windows is the second album by Canadian band Bell Orchestre. It was recorded at Soma Electric Studios in Chicago, IL.-Track listing:# "Stripes" — 2:18# "Elephants" — 8:53# "Icicles/Bicycles" — 6:15# "Water/Light/Shifts" — 3:09...

|| Instrumental Album Of The Year ||
|-
| Charles Spearin The Happiness Project
The Happiness Project
The Happiness Project is the title of Charles Spearin's debut album. Best known for his work with Toronto-based bands Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene, Charles Spearin has been performing samples of The Happiness Project live during Broken Social Scene concerts this past year, offering...

|| Contemporary Jazz Album Of The Year ||
|-
| The Most Serene Republic Heavens To Purgatory || Video Of The Year ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| || Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene, released by the Arts & Crafts record label on May 4, 2010...

|| Alternative Album of the Year ||
|-
Broken Social Scene || Group of the Year ||
|-
| Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene, released by the Arts & Crafts record label on May 4, 2010...

|| Recording Package of the Year ||
|-
| Broken Social Scene This Movie Is Broken
This Movie Is Broken
This Movie Is Broken is a film by Canadian director Bruce McDonald, released in 2010. A cross between a romantic comedy and a concert film, the film stars Greg Calderone as Bruno, a young man hoping to convince his longtime crush Caroline to become his girlfriend by taking her to a Broken Social...

|| Music DVD of the Year ||
|-
| Broken Social Scene Forced To Love || Video of the Year ||
|-
| Chilly Gonzales Ivory Tower
Ivory Tower
The term Ivory Tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon , and was later used as an epithet for Mary.From the 19th century it has been used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life...

|| Electronic Album of the Year||

Polaris Music Prize

The Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label...

 is awarded annually to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit. Arts & Crafts have had four albums make the short list.
|-
| || Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene (album)
Broken Social Scene is the third studio album by Broken Social Scene, released on October 4, 2005. The album was originally to be titled Windsurfing Nation....

|| Polaris Music Prize ||
|-
| || Feist The Reminder
The Reminder
The Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada....

|| Polaris Music Prize ||
|-
| || Stars In Our Bedroom After The War
In Our Bedroom after the War
In Our Bedroom After the War is the fourth studio album by Stars, released on September 25, 2007 on the Arts & Crafts record label. It was released to digital retailers on July 10, 2007, in an attempt to battle the album's leak...

|| Polaris Music Prize ||
|-
| || Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene, released by the Arts & Crafts record label on May 4, 2010...

|| Polaris Music Prize ||
|-
| || Timber Timbre Creep On Creepin' On
Creep On Creepin' On
Creep On Creepin' On is the fourth studio album by Timber Timbre, released on April 5, 2011 on Arts & Crafts. The album was recorded in a variety of locations, including a converted church....

|| Polaris Music Prize ||

Canadian Music Awards

The Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards happen every March in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is an industry conference and music festival held over four days in various venues throughout Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:...

.
|-
| 2008 || Arts & Crafts || Independent Label of the Year ||
|-
| 2009 || Arts & Crafts || Independent Label of the Year ||
|-
| 2011 || Arts & Crafts || Independent Label of the Year ||

Other Ventures

In 2008 Arts & Crafts opened Arts & Crafts México and are recognized as the first independent music company to focus on the independent music market in México releasing albums by the A&C North American roster as well as being the Méxican home to a number of other successful artists such as Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

, Bright Eyes, M.Ward, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...

, and The Dears
The Dears
-History:The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance...

.
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