Secret City Records

Operational Structure

Secret City Records operates as a fully independent label with integrated publishing services, managing comprehensive recording and publishing rights for its 32-artist roster. The label employs 21+ full-time staff across Montreal headquarters and Los Angeles operations, focusing on artist development, international marketing, and rights administration. Founder Justin West maintains CEO leadership with general manager Magali Ould overseeing day-to-day operations after 12+ years with the company. Publishing administration through Secret City Publishing controls 80-100% of signed artists’ publishing catalogs, with mechanical and online collection managed through CMRRA partnerships. The business model emphasizes “controlling 100% of a song whenever possible” for maneuverability in licensing, synchronization, and promotional opportunities.

Distribution infrastructure operates through The Orchard, providing comprehensive platform coverage across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok, and international digital service providers. The label deliberately maintains roster constraints at 32 artists with 11-13 actively releasing music annually, prioritizing depth of artist relationships over volume-based catalog expansion. Release strategy averages 4-6 albums annually with localized marketing campaigns tailored by territory, combining global digital promotion with regional press and radio coordination. Services include A&R consultation, production guidance, international touring support, sync licensing identification, and publishing administration.

Catalog and Commercial Performance

The catalog generates substantial streaming volume with flagship artist Patrick Watson accumulating 2.8+ billion total streams and 9 million monthly Spotify listeners. His single “Je te laisserai des mots” reached 1.3+ billion Spotify streams, marking the first French-language song to exceed 1 billion streams on the platform. Alexandra Stréliski’s catalog totals 600+ million streams with album Inscape achieving double platinum certification in Canada after selling 180,000+ units and winning JUNO Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. The Barr Brothers’ single “Even the Darkness Has Arms” accumulated 110+ million Spotify streams with album Sleeping Operator earning gold certification.

Chart performance includes Patrick Watson’s albums reaching #4 on Canadian album charts with international charting in France and Netherlands. The label roster has secured 40+ Polaris Prize nominations and shortlists with Patrick Watson winning the 2007 Polaris Music Prize for Close to Paradise. JUNO Award recognition spans Alexandra Stréliski, Klô Pelgag (Francophone Album of the Year 2025), Jeremy Dutcher, and multiple nominations for The Barr Brothers across three consecutive years. Félix Award accumulation totals 50+ wins across roster with Klô Pelgag earning 20 career awards and Alexandra Stréliski receiving 10 distinctions.

Leif Vollebekk maintains 990,651 monthly Spotify listeners with international sold-out touring in London and Paris. Catalog artists Plants and Animals, Basia Bulat, Owen Pallett, and Suuns have collectively secured multiple Polaris Prize shortlists and JUNO nominations. Commercial certification achievements include 5 gold albums, 2 platinum albums, and 1 double platinum album across the roster spanning multiple territories including Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Artist Development Track Record

Long-term artist retention defines the label’s development approach with Patrick Watson maintaining an 18-year continuous relationship since the label’s founding. Plants and Animals have remained on roster for 9+ years, The Barr Brothers and Basia Bulat for 6-8+ years, and Leif Vollebekk across five studio album releases. Founder Justin West stated in industry interviews that “not one [artist] has ever left the label in 12 years,” indicating zero roster departures through sustained relationship periods.

Development support emphasizes creative autonomy over prescriptive commercial direction. Leif Vollebekk described the signing process:

“He [Justin West] was just like, ‘Go make a record and bring it here whenever you’re done.’ And then I did… So far [the highlight is] how un-invasive and supportive Justin has been with my process.”

This approach extended to his five-year production cycle for album Revelation, recording at Dreamland Studios in Woodstock with orchestral arrangements and international collaborators while the label provided infrastructure support without timeline constraints.

International career development facilitated multiple television appearances for The Barr Brothers on Late Show with David Letterman, European festival bookings for roster artists, and Alexandra Stréliski’s sold-out international tours spanning 100,000+ concert tickets across multiple continents. Jesse Mac Cormack noted joining the roster created connections with “all my favourite artists in Montréal,” emphasizing community integration alongside commercial development. Owen Pallett stated the label extended touring-family support from initial signing, creating collaborative infrastructure beyond transactional artist-label relationships.

Artist selection philosophy targets “quirky,” “eccentric,” and “left-of-center” talent rather than formulaic market positioning. The roster spans indie rock, neo-classical piano, folk, experimental electronic, hip-hop, and francophone singer-songwriter genres unified by artistic ambition rather than commercial demographics. Most signings result from staff referrals, existing artist connections, or organic industry relationships rather than active scouting or competitive bidding processes.

Distribution Infrastructure

Platform coverage operates through The Orchard’s Sony Music Group distribution infrastructure, providing comprehensive access to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok, Amazon Music, Deezer, and 150+ international digital service providers. The partnership supplies backend royalty collection, metadata management, rights administration, and technical delivery systems while maintaining the label’s independent operational control. Historical distribution relationships included EMI Canada from 2009 through the 2010s before transitioning to current Orchard partnership.

International territories receive localized marketing support with press coordination, radio promotion, playlist pitching, and territory-specific campaign management across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Physical distribution infrastructure handles vinyl and CD manufacturing with retail partnerships through Rough Trade and specialized independent music retailers. The label’s Bandcamp presence provides direct-to-consumer digital and physical sales, supplementing primary distribution channels.

Publishing administration through Secret City Publishing integrates with recording distribution, managing mechanical licensing, synchronization opportunities, and performance rights collection. CMRRA partnership handles Canadian mechanical and online collection while international sub-publishing relationships extend rights administration across multiple territories. The integrated model positions the label to control master recordings and publishing rights simultaneously for 80%+ of roster artists, streamlining licensing negotiations and revenue collection.

Artist Experience

Public testimonials from roster artists emphasize creative freedom and non-invasive development support across sustained partnership periods. Patrick Watson described the label’s philosophy in award acceptance speeches, noting the team “took a wild and weird path that we stuck to” rather than conventional commercial strategies. Jesse Mac Cormack stated after one year on roster that joining Secret City meant “becoming friends with artists that I admire,” highlighting community integration alongside professional services.

Owen Pallett noted touring support began immediately upon signing:

“He made me feel like I was part of the touring family from the very first day… that’s not always the case!”

The label’s founder discusses business philosophy transparently in industry interviews, articulating approaches to artist relationships, contract structures, and development timelines. This communication pattern appears consistently across NPR interviews, music industry publications, and label anniversary features spanning 2010-2024.

Artist retention patterns demonstrate sustained satisfaction with zero documented departures across the roster’s 6-18+ year partnership periods. Multiple artists have released 4-6 albums consecutively with the label while maintaining active touring schedules and international commercial success. The development model prioritizes patient capital investment and long-term career building over per-album commercial maximization or short-cycle artist rotation common in volume-focused independent label operations.

Business Model

Revenue structure integrates recorded music rights management with publishing administration, controlling both master recordings and underlying composition rights for the majority of signed artists. The approach seeks “controlling 100% of a song when possible” to maximize maneuverability in synchronization licensing, promotional opportunities, and international sub-publishing relationships. Publishing services include mechanical licensing, performance rights administration, synchronization identification, and royalty collection through CMRRA partnerships for Canadian territories and international sub-publishers for global coverage.

Recording contracts span traditional label agreements, licensing arrangements, and profit-sharing structures tailored by artist and project requirements. The label manages approximately 80% of roster artists’ global rights with remaining artists signed for territory-specific or licensing-based arrangements. Advance structures operate case-by-case based on artist development stage and project scope rather than standardized per-album royalty formulas. Investment emphasis centers on artist development infrastructure, international marketing campaigns, and touring support over large recoupable advances.

The roster deliberately caps at 32 artists with 11-13 actively releasing music annually, prioritizing relationship depth and resource concentration over catalog volume expansion. This constrained approach contrasts with aggregator or high-volume independent models pursuing hundreds of artist relationships with minimal per-artist investment. Annual release targets of 4-6 albums reflect quality-focused curation with significant marketing support per release rather than continuous catalog flooding.

A&R philosophy emphasizes organic discovery through staff relationships, existing roster referrals, and industry connections over competitive bidding or proactive talent scouting. The label avoids formulaic genre targeting or demographic-based artist acquisition, instead seeking “fit” through shared artistic values and long-term partnership potential. Selection criteria prioritize artistic eccentricity, technical skill, and career ambition over immediate commercial scalability or trend alignment.