Arts andamp; Crafts Productions or just Arts andamp; Crafts (or AandC) as it is more commonly known is a Canada based, multi-faceted, music-focused media and artist services company that serves as an independent record company, management firm, merchandising company, and worldwide publishing company. It has earned 21 Juno Awards. Arts andamp; Crafts has been called one of Canada's most important record labels.
Arts andamp; Crafts Productions was launched in 2003 by friends Jeffrey Remedios andamp; 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, or vanity label and artist management organization for 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.
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In 2004, founder Jeffrey Remedios expanded the operation into Montreal basing himself out of the offices of Donald K Donald (DKD) who later partnered to form Arts andamp; Crafts International, releasing the gold selling album Set Yourself on Fire by Montreal-based group, Stars.
The year 2005 saw indie band The Most Serene Republic as the first unrelated to Broken Social Scene artist to sign with the company causing the organization to be recognized as a full fledged label and not just a vanity outlet for BSS and its members. Arts andamp; Crafts Productions began its foray into the digital music business launching GalleryAC.com around that same time, a boutique web store that offered digital downloads and Arts andamp; Crafts related merchandise. They were one of the first labels to launch a digital download store.
In 2008 Arts andamp; Crafts opened Arts andamp; Crafts México and are recognized as the first independent music company to focus on the independent music market in Mexico, releasing albums by the AandC North American roster as well as being the Mexican home to a number of other successful artists from the indie rock world such as Sonic Youth, Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Metric, and The Dears.
Arts andamp; 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.
In 2009 Rolling Stone cited Remedios as a key insider reshaping the future of the music biz.
On 5 April 2017, Caroline Distribution became the US distributor for the Arts andamp; Crafts label. The label was previously distributed by RED Distribution in the US. EMI Music Canada previously distributed the label in Canada, when, in 2013, EMI Music Canada was merged into Universal Music Canada.
Arts andamp; Crafts 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.
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In 2014, Arts andamp; Crafts designers Kotyk, Peroff, and Petra Cuschieri won another Recording Package of the Year Juno Award for "Arts andamp; Crafts: 2003–2013" 4x LP compilation album.
A full list of artists currently signed to Arts andamp; Crafts can be found here. You can find Arts andamp; Crafts on social media at facebook, Instagram, youtube and twitter at @artsandcrafts.
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