Linus Entertainment, a leading Canadian rights management company, distributor and music publisher whose portfolio of labels also includes Stony Plain Records, True North Records and others, has acquired the catalog of Borealis Records, an artist-focused Canadian folk and roots music label.
“We have partnered with Linus Entertainment for some 13 years in distribution and they have been our partners in the best sense,” said Grit Laskin and Bill Garrett in a joint statement announcing the transition. Laskin (also a noted luthier) and Garrett (an in-demand producer) founded Borealis in 1996, along with fellow musicians Paul Mills and Ken Whitely. The label was committed to recording only Canadian artists, seeking out artists from all of Canada’s regions, entering into “ethical artist agreements that are fair and typically more generous than what is the industry standard, “ and presenting all the diverse styles of music under the folk and roots umbrella.
“It has been a joy to work with Grit and Bill and their wonderful artists,” said Geoff Kulawick, president and CEO of Linus Entertainment. “Taking on the responsibility of managing the Borealis catalog, which includes many ever-green musical gems of Canadian culture and folklore was a natural fit as we know the music well, so transition for the artists and our global distribution partners will be seamless.”
The Borealis catalog includes more than 200 titles. Among the more than 60 artists who called the label home are The Bills, The Bombadils, La Bottine Souriante, Jon Brooks, Michael Jerome Browne, The Fugitives, Beppe Gambetta, Gathering Sparks, Eve Goldberg, James Gordon, James Keelaghan, Linda McRae, Melisande (electrotrad), Evelyn Parry, Nathan Rogers, Pharis & Jason Romero, Chris Ronald, Oliver Schroer, Jayme Stone, Shari Ulrich, Le Vent du Nord, Ken Whiteley, and the late Ron Hynes, Penny Lang, Stan Rogers, Laura Smith, and Jackie Washington.
“Being an artist on Borealis has been a wonderful thing,” said Eve Goldberg, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter and part of the folk-roots duo Gathering Sparks. “On the artist side, they have always acted with great integrity and respect for the music and the musicians, and I think they’ve made a big difference for a number of artists. It has always felt like they are part of my music community, and that means a lot in the midst of this business.’
Goldberg has been associated with Borealis since its inception — having initially handled artist relations and a variety of administrative tasks for the label. “When Borealis started, there weren’t many Canadian labels that were releasing folk music, and as an independent artist it was challenging to get your music out there,” she said. “ I think [Borealis] made a huge difference on the Canadian folk scene. They were never in it to get rich (who gets rich off of folk music anyway??). They were purely motivated by love for the music, wanting to help artists’ careers, and wanting to lift the profile of folk music in Canada and beyond…. Although I’m sad to see Borealis ending this phase of its life, I know that True North will be a great new home for Borealis artists and for the Canadian folk music Borealis has nurtured for 25 years.”
James Gordon, a Guelph, Ontario-based singer-songwriter, best known for his topical songs about Canada’s identity and heritage, shares her sentiments. “I’m doubly grateful for all the nurturing support that Borealis has offered me for the last 20 years, and for the fact that they have found a home for all of us Borealis artists with True North Records, where I know I’ll be well looked after.”
Gordon, who has released more than two-dozen solo recordings and was a founding member of the Canadian folk trio Tamarack, noted that when he started out in the music biz more than 40 years ago his Canadian music heroes like Bruce Cockburn and Murray McLachlin were on the new True North label. “I always dreamed that some day I’d join them, and that seems now to have accidentally happened.”
“I have nothing but respect for any label that manages to survive in these challenging times,” Gordon told AcousticMusicScene.com. “In the pandemic, purchasing CDs and downloads (definitely not streaming) is pretty much the only source of income for many of us in this biz, so I am extra pleased that there appears to be a smooth transition for Borealites,” he added.
“For an independent artist, they were a perfect – always there to answer questions, confer on strategy, bolster my confidence in my work – and always in the audience when I was in the same town,” said singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich, who signed on with Borealis in 2013. “In 50 years I have run the gamut of the full range of worldwide deals on major labels, to releasing albums completely independently, and Borealis filled a critical sweet spot in Canadian music.”
Ulrich continued: “Bill and Grit and their team also became very good friends, as I suspect they did with all of their artists. I always sensed that they had my best interest at the forefront, as I do now as they hand off their roster to True North Records. As with everything else these days, I can’t predict what the future holds, but I know and trust Geoff Kulawick to share their principles (and taste in music!) and hope to find a good home there,’ she added.
“We have been most fortunate in being able to work with a large number of very fine artists over the years,” Laskin and Garrett acknowledged. “Their music has been a constant source of inspiration and the friendships made will be life-long. Although we leave the business of running a record company behind we by no means will be leaving music.”
For his part, Laskin said that he continues building guitars full-time and serving in a volunteer capacity as president of the Canadian Folk Music Awards board of directors. He’s also been part of the band Friends of Fiddler’s Green for nearly 50 years. Laskin, who has published four books, two coffee-table tomes and a novel, informs AcousticMusicScene.com that he also is engaged in research for another novel. “In short, there is no lack of things to keep me out of trouble,” he said.
Like/Follow Us!