This is the first of a series of playlists where I will be looking at Canadian Independent Record Companies and the artists they represent. This month we will listen to some music from artists that are on the Arts & Crafts label or at least one of their albums was. Mostly it is current artists you will find in the playlist.

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. They sure have a lot of great Canadian talent on the roster!

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. 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. (source: Wikipedia)