Reader TTS

Breadcrumb Trail Links * Entertainment * Local Arts * Music Monstercat announces the strategic acquisition of Silk Music and the formation of the Monstercat Silk brand. Published Mar 03,

2021  •  Last updated Mar 05, 2021  •  4 minute read ARTICLE CONTENT _Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate

commission from purchases made through links on this page._ Getting mellow grooves on at home is the pandemic trend. Health regulations mean nobody is raving right now. Monstercat Silk

launched last month with this in mind. Article content Article content The third brand from Vancouver-based indie electronic music label Monstercat is the result of the company’s strategic

acquisition of L.A.-based Silk Music. Featuring three curated 24/7 livestreams showcasing deep house, progressive house and chill out, as well as a weekly Wednesday afternoon podcast,

Monstercat Silk announced itself with the single Glow. The new track by Japanese veteran Shingo Nakamura dropped on Feb. 10. Advertisement 2 THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. * Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report,

Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. * Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. * The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print

edition to view on any device, share and comment on. * Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. * Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. * Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report,

Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. * Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. * The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print

edition to view on any device, share and comment on. * Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. * Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE

ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. * Access articles from across Canada with one account. * Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the

comments. * Enjoy additional articles per month. * Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue

with your reading experience. * Access articles from across Canada with one account * Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments * Enjoy additional articles per month *

Get email updates from your favourite authors SIGN IN OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT or Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Play Video At a time when much of the music

industry is in disarray, Monstercat’s proven digital-only approach appears to be sailing along relatively smoothly, and is expanding. “All things considered, the biggest challenges last year

were in planning for the future and pivoting,” said Monstercat co-founder and CEO Mike Darlington. “Everybody had to look at what they were doing, what they could be doing more effectively

and differently, and using the time effectively to innovate and do something new. We took hits in a few areas, but generally came out strong.” The new venture came out of a process begun in

late 2019, when Darlington and Silk Music’s Jacob Henry started to discuss the potential for moving both label’s musical offerings forward. Monstercat’s Instinct and Uncaged brands were

doing a great job of covering the harder and more pop-oriented side of the EDM genre worldwide. Silk Music had a global presence in more downtempo, progressive and relaxing chill-out sounds.

Fans can expect six new releases per week now as Monstercat’s “one-stop” shop for contemporary electronic music’s variations keeps expanding. Canucks Report Essential reading for hockey

fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you

don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canucks Report will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content

Advertisement 3 Article content For a musical style that is perceived as being inseparable from sweaty clubs and massive festival tents, Silk Music operates in different listening zones. The

label’s streaming compilations cover everything from Music to Study By to Night Driving sets. These curated playlists fit well with changes in tastes under COVID-19 conditions and often run

six hours. “We describe it as the “lean-back listening culture” that has emerged alongside the playlisting trend of the last couple of years,” said Henry. “There are a lot of folks who want

to listen to something steadily through their day, whether it’s during moments of meditation, work or study, and don’t want to have to change the station or think about it too much. We have

a real leg-up with so many more of the deeper, chiller, introspective styles of music which fans can log into and just ride for hours or 24/7.” Advertisement 4 Article content Finding that

the ease of letting the sounds flow over you during a busy work day worked wonders on relieving stress and upping productivity, Darlington was a diehard fan. Asked if that was one of the

things that drew him to this acquisition was that Monstercat lacked such genres, he doesn’t mince his words. “You nailed it there, I was listening to this music and passionate about it

before I even knew it was Silk music, and it was certainly under-represented on our roster,” he said. “For me to be that into it and not have it under our umbrella and platform made no

sense. COVID only accelerated the need to work with music that could be consumed in that kind of listening environment.” Deciding to join forces came out of a mutual admiration for how each

other did business. Neither label played by standard industry rules, yet both were incredibly well-established and highly respected among consumers. Henry had admired Monstercat since its

inception. Advertisement 5 Article content “Monstercat was one of the only brands in the world that didn’t have a superstar triple-A celebrity at the top of the pyramid using that celebrity

as leverage to build the brand,” he said. “Instead of the cult of personality, they did it the much harder way of growing organically, optimizing every aspect of the company from the music

to graphic design to social media, to be exceptional. That was unique and proved it was possible to create a dope global brand without that “Top 10 DJ Mag Artist” model that is still the

norm.” Bringing the two label’s brands together under the new banner with the aim of audience expansion is a no-brainer for Darlington. The more brands to reflect electronic music’s variety,

the better. “As we have a different age demographic between the two brands, bringing the two together as Monstercat Silk will certainly introduce Silk Music to a younger audience,” said

Darlington. “That’s great, because Monstercat was supposed to be a discovery mechanism for new music and new genres and it was important that it reflected my own varied listening tastes. For

me — and my business partner Ari Paunonen — it was all over the place, going from a Rusko dubstep show one night to a Carl Cox techno set the next and a trance progressive house show by

Gareth Emery after that.” Advertisement 6 Article content As part of the acquisition, all of the material that was previously under Silk Music is now rebranded Monstercat Silk. While the

younger demographic can now get exposed to the material, the process works both ways. Henry is intrigued by what the audience may look like in a year. “Silk’s audience was 75 per cent over

25, with over a third age-30-plus, which is really unique for the industry,” he said. “We like to think that this is due to the elegance and sophistication of the music which isn’t geared so

much towards a younger, festival audience. That’s wonderful for what it is, but Monstercat Silk will be something different.” Given Nakamura was one of the very first artists to record on

Silk over a decade ago, that something different also represents coming full-circle as well. It should be interesting to hear what exciting new sounds come out of this new brand.

[email protected] twitter.com/stuartderdeyn Article content Share this article in your social network Comments Join the Conversation Featured Local Savings