Arts & Crafts Productions

Arts & Crafts
Parent company Arts & Crafts Productions
Founded 2003 (2003)
Founder Kevin Drew
Jeffrey Remedios
Distributor(s) RED Distribution (US)
Universal Music Canada
Genre Indie
Country of origin Canada
Location Toronto, Ontario
Official website arts-crafts.ca

Arts & Crafts Productions is a music-focused media and artist services company that offers information as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser, and publisher worldwide. It has earned 21 Juno Awards. Arts & Crafts has been called one of Canada's most important record labels.[1]

History

Founding

Arts & Crafts (also referred to as "A&C") was launched as a music company in 2003 by friends Jeffrey Remedios & Daniel Cutler both former Virgin Records executives as well as Kevin Drew, who co-founded flagship group Broken Social Scene (BSS) with Brendan Canning. The partnership was originally intended as a vehicle for self-release and artist management of Broken Social Scene's breakthrough album You Forgot It in People, 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, Feist, Apostle of Hustle and Valley of the Giants.

Growth

In 2005 The Most Serene Republic was the first band unrelated to Broken Social Scene to sign to Arts & Crafts[2] 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[3] 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 for sale before promotional copies were ever manufactured and distributed by issuing wide release as a digital download only 3 days following album completion.[4]

In 2009 Rolling Stone cited Remedios as a key insider reshaping the future of the music biz.[5]

Recent history

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.

On 14 January 2013, Arts & Crafts announced it would be holding the Field Trip Arts & Crafts Music Festival to commemorate their ten-year anniversary. Signed on to headline are Arts & Crafts labelmates Broken Social Scene, Feist, and Stars.[6] Along with the festival celebration, Arts & Crafts will be releasing a rarities compilation titled, Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013. The compilation will be released as a double album or four LPs and will include selected rarities from across the Arts & Crafts catalog.[7] A second compilation album, Arts & Crafts: X, was released in May and featured newly recorded collaborations between A&C artists.[8]

The "Toronto Music Scene"

The 2009 release of This Book Is Broken (House of Anansi Press) documented the rise of Toronto indie bands, focusing especially on Broken Social Scene and the Arts & Crafts roster.

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 five JUNO Awards for Album Artwork of the year. In 2006 for Broken Social Scene: Broken Social Scene (Louise Upperton (Director/Designer); Christopher Mills, Kevin Drew, Justin Peroff (Illustrators)), in 2009 for Constantines: Kensington Heights (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 and in 2012 for Timber Timbre's Creep On Creepin' On and Feist's Metals both earned nominations in the category.

In 2014, Arts & Crafts designers Kotyk, Peroff, and Petra Cuschieri won another Recording Package of the Year Juno Award for "Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013" 4x LP compilation album.

Gold & Platinum Certifications

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Gold[9] 50,000

Stars Set Yourself On Fire

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Gold[9] 50,000

Broken Social Scene You Forgot It in People

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Gold[10] 50,000

Feist Let It Die

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Platinum[11] 100,000

Feist The Reminder

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada 2X Platinum[12] 200,000

Feist Metals

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Gold[9] 50,000

Awards and Accolades

Juno Awards

The Juno Awards are presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Arts & Crafts artists have won a total of 21 Juno Awards over fourteen years.

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2003 Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It in People Alternative Album of the Year Won
2004 Broken Social Scene, "Stars and Sons" Video of the Year Nominated
Stars, Heart Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
2005 Feist, "One Evening" Video of the Year Nominated
Feist, Let It Die Alternative Album of the Year Won
Feist New Artist of the Year Won
Stars, Set Yourself on Fire Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
2006 Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene Alternative Album of the Year Won
CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year Nominated
Feist, "Inside and Out" Single of the Year Nominated
2008 Feist, The Reminder Album of the Year Won
Pop Album of the Year Won
Feist, "1,2,3,4" Single of the Year Won
Feist Songwriter of the Year Won
Feist Artist of the Year Won
2009 The Stills, Oceans Will Rise Alternative Album of the Year Won
The Stills New Group of the Year Won
Constantines, Kensington Heights Recording Package of the Year Nominated
Feist Juno Fan Choice Award Nominated
Feist, "Honey Honey" Video of the Year Won
2010 Amy Millan, Masters of the Burial Adult Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
Amy Millan, Masters of the Burial Recording Package of the Year Nominated
Bell Orchestre, As Seen Through Windows Instrumental Album of the Year Won
Charles Spearin, The Happiness Project Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year Won
The Most Serene Republic, "Heavens to Purgatory" Video of the Year Nominated
2011 Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
Broken Social Scene Group of the Year Nominated
Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record Recording Package of the Year Won
Broken Social Scene, This Movie Is Broken Music DVD of the Year Nominated
Broken Social Scene, "Forced to Love" Video of the Year Nominated
Chilly Gonzales, Ivory Tower Electronic Album of the YearNominated
2012 Dan Mangan, Oh Fortune Alternative Album of the Year Won
Dan Mangan New Artist of the Year Won
Dan Mangan Songwriter of the Year Nominated
Dan Mangan, "Rows of Houses" Video of the Year Nominated
Feist, Metals Adult Alternative Album of the Year Won
Feist Artist of the Year Won
Feist Songwriter of the Year Nominated
Feist, Look At What the Light Did Now Music DVD of the Year Won
Timber Timbre, Creep On Creepin' On Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
Timber Timbre, Creep On Creepin' On Recording Package of the Year Nominated
2013 Trust Electronic Artist Of The Year Nominated
Cold Specks Breakthrough Artist of the Year Nominated
2014 Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013 Recording Package of the Year Won
Hayden, Us Alone Adult Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
The Darcys, Warring Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
2015 Timber Timbre, Hot Dreams Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
Timber Timbre, Hot Dreams Recording Package Of The Year Nominated

Polaris Music Prize

The Polaris Music Prize is awarded annually to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit. Arts & Crafts have had eight albums make the short list.

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2006 Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2007 Feist, The Reminder Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2008 Stars, In Our Bedroom After the War Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2010 Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2011 Timber Timbre, Creep On Creepin' On Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2012 Cold Specks, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2012 Feist, Metals Polaris Music Prize Won
2014 Timber Timbre, Hot Dreams Polaris Music Prize Nominated
2015 Tobias Jesso Jr, Goon Polaris Music Prize Nominated

Canadian Music Awards

The Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards happen every March in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week.[13]

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2008 Arts & Crafts Independent Label of the Year Won
2009 Arts & Crafts Independent Label of the Year Won
2011 Arts & Crafts Independent Label of the Year Won
2012 Arts & Crafts Independent Label of the Year Won

Other ventures

In 2008 Arts & Crafts opened Arts & Crafts México[14] and are recognized as the first independent music company to focus on the independent music market in Mexico, releasing albums by the A&C North American roster as well as being the Mexican home to a number of other successful artists such as Sonic Youth, Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Metric, and The Dears.

Artists

References

External links

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