Royal Mountain Records is the ninth in a series of playlists where we are checking out Canadian Independent Record Companies and the artists they represent. We have checked out Arts and Crafts, Constellation Records, Dine Alone Records, Last Gang Records, Mint Records, Paper Bag Records, Six Shooter Records, and Secret City Records so far. This month we are hearing from Canadian artists with Royal Mountain Records. There is some great music coming from this label. Indie rock, power pop, alternative rock, punk rock are mostly what you will hear from them.

Royal Mountain Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, based in Toronto, Canada. The Royal Mountain roster currently consists of more than 30 active artists.

Founded in 2009 by Hollerado front man Menno Versteeg and Adam “Bix” Berger, the label was originally intended as a means to self release Hollerado’s debut Record in a Bag (RMR-001). It soon became a platform to launch the careers of other local Toronto artists such as PUP and Alvvays. Upon the success of these releases, the label signed international acts such as Mac DeMarco, Metz and U.S. Girls, while continuing to support local artists such as Calpurnia and Dizzy. Recent additions to the Royal Mountain roster include Shady Nasty, Bad Waitress, Ellis, KOKOKO!, Nap Eyes, and Wolf Parade. In 2018, it has was hailed by Now Magazine as one of the strongest rock record labels in Toronto. (Source: Wikipedia)

One of the great things about Royal Mountain Records is the Mental Health Initiative they run. Here is what it says on their site:

“Mental health is incredibly important to us. Our friends and colleagues are artists, and between our over one hundred band members and employees, much of the spectrum of mental illness is prevalent in our lives. From general anxiety to depression, bipolar disorders and struggles with addiction, these issues tend to hit the music community particularly hard.

Many of these musicians are unable to afford the proper treatment or preventative care. Mental health can go unchecked for years and the consequences of this can often be tragic. We pride ourselves as a label that is run by artists, for artists, and we want our colleagues to be able to do their jobs with healthy bodies and healthy minds. Though it is not our place as a record label to personally involve ourselves with trying to fix these problems, we do feel that it is very much our responsibility to provide outside resources when help is needed.

That is why we are implementing a fund to help our artists seek mental health treatment. At the discretion of the artist, this money can be used for everything not covered by public medical insurance; from psychologist visits to counseling, couples’ therapy or even meditation.”

Good on them! Take a listen below to a playlist of a track from each artist on their roster. It is on both Spotify and YouTube. Enjoy!