Duke Street Records was a Canadian 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:...

. The label was established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant and ceased operations in 1994. The Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

 took over the label when it disappeared.

The label released albums in a wide variety of genres, by artists such as Art Bergmann

Art Bergmann

Art Bergmann is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who was one of the key figures in Canadian punk rock in the late 1970s.-Punk bands:...

, The Front

The Front (Canadian band)

The Front was a Canadian band, based in Toronto, that released two well-received albums and several singles in the early 1980s, the most notable single of which is "The Haunting "...

, Jane Siberry, FM

FM (Canadian band)

FM is a progressive rock band from Toronto, Canada which existed from 1976 to 1996, with a brief return in 2006, although they had a period of inactivity between 1989 and 1994. Their music has been categorized as space rock, and lyrics are dominated by science fiction themes...

, Rik Emmett

Rik Emmett

Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...

, Willie P. Bennett

Willie P. Bennett

Willie P. Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer and song writer.-Life and career:Born William Patrick Bennett in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, alongside such figures as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and David Wiffen...

, Rob McConnell

Rob McConnell

Robert Murray Gordon "Rob" McConnell, was a Canadian jazz valve trombonist, composer, arranger, music educator, and recording artist.-Biography:...

, Scott Merritt, Chalk Circle

Chalk Circle

Chalk Circle was a Canadian college rock band in the 1980s. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy.-History:...

, Valdy

Valdy

Paul Valdemar Horsdal, CM , commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for "Rock and Roll Song", his first mainstream single released in mid-1972 on Haida/A&M.He was a member of the London Town Criers during the 1960s and...

, Manteca

Manteca (band)

Manteca is a Canadian jazz fusion band that toured during the 1980s and 1990s. It was formed by percussionist Matt Zimbel and bassist Henry Heillig in 1979.Their repertoire consisted of pieces composed by keyboardist Aaron Davis and Rick Tait...

, Don Ross

Don Ross (guitarist)

Donald James Ross , commonly known as Don Ross, is a Canadian fingerstyle guitarist noted for the emotion and intensity of his playing as well as his use of extended technique....

 and Barbara Lynch

Barbara Lynch

Barbara Lynch is a musician/singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her first album, Goodbye and Goodluck, was released by Duke Street Records in 1996. Lynch self-produced her second album, In the Nickelodeon...

. Their albums with the label, in the future, will be reissued on UMG.

In 1995, Hermant donated his entire archive of Duke Street material to the Music Archives at the National Library of Canada

Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...

. This 24-year collection includes over 2100 audio tapes, and a 30 cm stack of textual records, including promotional material and photographs.