Monstercat Officical Logo
Monstercat (previously known as Monstercat Media) is an EDM record label based out of Vancouver, Canada.[1] Mike Darlington, CEO,[2][3] and Ari Paunonen, COO, founded Monstercat in July 2011.[1]
Unlike other labels that sign artists to exclusive label deals, Monstercat signs their artists on a per-track basis, giving them full copyright to a song while still giving the artist freedom to release other productions where they see fit.[4] Monstercat releases 3 new tracks per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with an hour-long podcast every Tuesday. After a certain amount of releases - currently 30 - Monstercat bundles them into a compilation album. Remixes and multiple tracks from an Artist's EP are generally not included in each compilation.
History
In July 2011, Mike Darlington (CEO) and Ari Paunonen created Monstercat as a YouTube channel.[1] Monstercat served as a medium for Darlington and Paunonen's friends to share and promote their music.[1][2][5] Darlington and Paunonen created compilation albums to provide artists with a method of releasing their music and attempt to lessen the competitiveness between them.[1][6] The first song on the label was Dubstep Killed Rock n Roll by Ephixa on Monstercat's first album, "Launch Week", which features seven artists: Feint, Halo Nova (Now Varien), Stephen Walking, Ephixa, Neilio, Arion, and Going Quantum. Recent albums now feature upwards of 30 artists with an even larger variety of genres. [6]
In December 2011 Monstercat signed Krewella,[1][2][5] an American electronic dance music group from Chicago, Illinois; "Killin' It" being their first original song released by a label.[2][7] Monstercat promoted Krewella with social media campaigns and partnered with EDM YouTube promotional channels for a larger platform.[1] Their second song on Monstercat was a collaboration with Pegboard Nerds titled 'This is Not The End'. It was released in September 2013, but was only sold on Krewella's forthcoming album 'Get Wet' through Columbia Records.
In June of 2014, Monstercat reached one million record sales, and became the 11th most subscribed channel on YouTube[4] in Canada. Since then, Monstercat has grown to become the largest YouTube channel in Canada and has broken into the Top 350 in the world. [8]
Releases
Discography
| Producer | Album Title | Total Tracks | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monstercat | 001 - Launch Week | 7 | 7 July 2011 |
| Monstercat | 002 - Early Stage | 15 | 28 September 2011 |
| Monstercat | 003 - Momentum | 15 | 4 October 2011 |
| Monstercat | 004 - Identity | 15 | 18 December 2011 |
| Monstercat | Best of 2011 | 20 | 23 December 2011 |
| Monstercat | 005 - Evolution | 20 | 20 February 2012 |
| Monstercat | 006 - Embrace | 20 | 13 April 2012 |
| Monstercat | 007 - Solace | 20 | 6 June 2012 |
| Monstercat | 008 - Anniversary | 20 | 27 July 2012 |
| Monstercat | 009 - Reunion | 20 | 12 September 2012 |
| Monstercat | 010 - Conquest | 20 | 31 October 2012 |
| Monstercat | 011 - Revolution | 20 | 19 December 2012 |
| Monstercat | Best of 2012 | 30 | 4 February 2013 |
| Monstercat | 012 - Aftermath | 30 | 11 March 2013 |
| Monstercat | 013 - Awakening | 30 | 10 June 2013 |
| Monstercat | 014 - Discovery | 30 | 2 September 2013 |
| Monstercat | 015 - Outlook | 30 | 20 November 2013 |
| Monstercat | Best of 2013 | 30 | 20 December 2013 |
| Monstercat | 016 - Expedition | 30 | 26 February 2014 |
| Monstercat | 017 - Ascension | 30 | 21 May 2014 |
| Monstercat | 018 - Frontier | 30 | 6 August 2014 |
| Monstercat | 019 - Endeavor | 30 | 22 October 2014 |
| Monstercat | 020 - Altitude | 30 | 15 December 2014 |
| Monstercat | Best of 2014 | 30 | 27 January 2015 |
| Monstercat | 021 - Perspective | 30 | 18 March 2015 |
| Monstercat | 022 - Contact | 30 | 01 June 2015 |
| Monstercat | 023 - Voyage | 30 | 17 August 2015 |
| Artist | Album Title | Total Tracks | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muzzy | Colours and Distractions | 21 | 24 February 2012 |
| Haywyre | Two Fold Pt. 1 | 8 | 31 March 2014 |
Artist EPs
| Artist(s) | EP Title | Total Tracks | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project 46 | Limitless | 3 | 14 November 2011 |
| Stephen Walking | Christian The Lion | 5 | 28 November 2011 |
| Mr. FijiWiji | Keeping It Surreal | 7 | 4 January 2012 |
| Tristam | Smashing Newbs | 6 | 11 January 2012 |
| Noisestorm | Renegade | 3 | 1 February 2012 |
| 1uP | Thundergun | 3 | 4 April 2012 |
| Going Quantum | Hello | 4 | 7 May 2012 |
| Tut Tut Child | Dance To It | 3 | 30 May 2012 |
| DotEXE | Hipster Cutthroat | 2 | 13 June 2012 |
| TVDS | Black Sky | 3 | 2 July 2012 |
| Droptek | Polygon | 4 | 11 July 2012 |
| Muzzy | Letz Rock | 2 | 8 October 2012 |
| TwoThirds | Waking Dreams | 5 | 26 October 2012 |
| Tut Tut Child | We're All Mad Here | 6 | 12 November 2012 |
| Rogue | Dreams | 4 | 26 November 2012 |
| TVDS | Another Day | 4 | 4 January 2013 |
| Pegboard Nerds | We Are One | 4 | 1 February 2013 |
| Stereotronique w/ Sebastian Ivarsson (feat. Danyka Nadeau) |
Tonight (The Remixes) |
5 | 8 April 2013 |
| 7 Minutes Dead | 7 Minutes Dead | 4 | 10 April 2013 |
| PIXL | Astrocat | 2 | 26 April 2013 |
| Vicetone | Heartbeat (The Remixes) |
7 | 24 May 2013 |
| Project 46 | Continuum | 3 | 11 June 2013 |
| Tristam | Truth (The Remixes) |
6 | 5 June 2013 |
| Falcon Funk | Falcon Funk | 4 | 14 June 2013 |
| Pegboard Nerds | Guilty Pleasures | 4 | 24 June 2013 |
| Tut Tut Child | Impossible Things Before Breakfast |
3 | 15 July 2013 |
| Au5 | Blossom | 2 | 7 August 2013 |
| PIXL | Sugar Rush | 3 | 14 August 2013 |
| Pegboard Nerds | The Lost Tracks | 6 | 30 August 2013 |
| Televisor | Old Skool (The Remixes) |
5 | 27 September 2013 |
| Protostar | Scorpion Pit (The Remixes) |
4 | 11 October 2013 |
| Mr. FijiWiji w/ various artists | Friends | 3 | 16 October 2013 |
| Rameses B | Timeless | 4 | 23 October 2013 |
| Muzzy | The Takeover | 4 | 28 October 2013 |
| Rogue | Earth | 4 | 4 November 2013 |
| Hellberg & Deutgen vs. Splitbreed |
Collide (The Remixes) |
7 | 11 November 2013 |
| Fractal | Elements | 2 | 15 November 2013 |
| Au5 & Fractal | Secret Weapon | 4 | 2 December 2013 |
| Astronaut | Destination: Apollo |
6 | 9 December 2013 |
| Astronaut | Quantum | 3 | 13 January 2014 |
| Fractal | Spection | 2 | 20 January 2014 |
| Rezonate | Prelude | 5 | 24 January 2014 |
| 7 Minutes Dead | Peacock | 2 | 27 January 2014 |
| Astronaut | Destination: Rain |
6 | 17 February 2014 |
| Pegboard Nerds | Bassline Kickin (The Remixes) |
3 | 19 February 2014 |
| Direct | Wanna Know You | 3 | 07 March 2014 |
| Noisestorm | Surge | 2 | 12 March 2014 |
| Astronaut | Destination: Quantum | 5 | 19 March 2014 |
| SCNDL | The Munsta (The Remixes) | 4 | 20 June 2014 |
| Au5 | Follow You (The Remixes) | 7 | 11 July 2014 |
| Falcon Funk | Pounce | 3 | 16 July 2014 |
| Rameses B | Dream Catcher | 2 | 25 August 2014 |
| Varien & 7 Minutes Dead | Mirai Sekai | 4 | 1 September 2014 |
| Draper | Perspectives | 4 | 5 September 2014 |
| Astronaut & Eyes | Destination: Pinball | 7 | 8 September 2014 |
| Tut Tut Child | Ask Your Friends First | 4 | 31 October 2014 |
| Favright | Taking Over (The Remixes) | 3 | 5 November 2014 |
| Astronaut feat. Harry Brooks JNR | Destination: Champions | 4 | 12 January 2015 |
| Astronaut & Far Too Loud | Destination: War | 5 | 11 February 2015 |
| Mr FijiWiji | Growing Up | 5 | 13 February 2015 |
| Eminence | Universe | 5 | 18 February 2015 |
| Muzzy | Get Crazy | 2 | 20 February 2015 |
| Excision & Pegboard Nerds | Bring The Madness
(The Remixes) |
4 | 23 March 2015 |
| Televisor | Venture | 4 | 6 April 2015 |
Christmas and Halloween EPs
| EP Title | Total Tracks | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Monstercat Christmas Album 2011 | 6 | 23 December 2011 |
| Trick or Treat EP | 4 | 20 October 2012 |
| Monstercat Christmas Album 2012 | 8 | 15 December 2012 |
Best of Genre Compilations
| Producer | Genre / Volume | Total Tracks | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monstercat | Dubstep Vol. 1 | 15 | 28 May 2012 |
| Monstercat | DnB/Drumstep Vol. 1 | 15 | 28 May 2012 |
| Monstercat | Electro Vol. 1 | 15 | 28 May 2012 |
| Monstercat | Dubstep Vol. 2 | 15 | 2 July 2013 |
| Monstercat | DnB/Drumstep Vol. 2 | 15 | 2 July 2013 |
| Monstercat | Electro Vol. 2 | 15 | 2 July 2013 |
| Monstercat | EDM Vol. 1 | 15 | 2 July 2013 |
| Monstercat | House Vol. 1 | 15 | 2 July 2013 |
Artists
Current - 2014 Roster[9]
- 7 Minutes Dead
- Aero Chord
- Astronaut
- Au5
- Braken
- Bustre
- Case & Point
- Direct
- DotEXE
- Droptek
- Dzeko & Torres
- Eminence
- Falcon Funk
- Favright
- Feint
- Fractal
- F.O.O.L.
- Going Quantum
- Grabbitz
- Grant Bowtie
- Haywyre
- Hellberg
- Insan3Lik3
- Krewella
- Lets Be Friends
- LVTHER
- Mr FijiWiji
- Muzzy
- Nitro Fun
- Noisestorm
- Pegboard Nerds
- PIXL
- Project 46
- Rameses B
- Razihel
- Rezonate
- Rogue
- Rootkit
- SCNDL
- Soulero
- Stephen Walking
- Stereotronique
- Stonebank
- Televisor
- Tristam
- Trivecta
- Tut Tut Child
- Varien
- Vicetone
- WRLD
Former
- 1uP
- 23
- Archie (Now known as Desso)
- Arion
- Day One
- Ephixa
- Halo Nova (Now known as Varien)
- Hot Date!
- Chrisson
- I.Y.F.F.E
- Matduke
- Neilio
- OVERWERK
- Skifonix
- Subformat
- Throttle
- TVDS (Now known as Atmozfears)
- TwoThirds (Also known as LVTHER)
- yh
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Line Abrahamian (February 2014). "Mike Darlington: Channeling his inner Monstercat". DJ Magazine Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Monstercat CEO – Mike Darlington". The FrontLiner. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ "Behind the Beat: Hellberg Interview". Only the Beat. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Citeweb
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chelsea Perry (10 March 2014). "Monstercat CEO Mike Darlington". NoisePorn. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bob Vrbanac (17 September 2013). "Thinking of the possibilities". Waterloo Chronicle. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ Luis Gomez (12 November 2013). "Krewella returning home feeling 'Alive'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ↑ Template:Citeweb
- ↑ "Monstercat Artist Lineup".