Welcome to Borealis Music
The Borealis Recording Company began in 1996 to answer a need in Canada’s musical spectrum: to create an artist-friendly home for Folk and Roots music. Grit Laskin, Bill Garrett, Paul Mills and Ken Whiteley, musicians all, pooled their ideas, their experience and their resources, and established the company with these goals as its mandate: ● To record only Canadian artists ● To seek out artists from all of Canada’s regions ● To enter into ethical artist agreements that are fair and typically more generous than what is the industry standard. ● To present all the diverse styles of music under the Folk and Roots umbrella: Celtic, Blues, Singer/songwriters, Political/Topical, Traditional, Bluegrass, World, etc. From the Borealis Recording Company grew Borealis Records, an internationally recognised label that over 25 years developed a roster of nearly 60 artists and a catalogue of over 200 titles supporting an exhilarating diversity of music. The award-winning label headed by Grit Laskin and Bill Garrett had a team of staff that included superheroes of music management: Linda Turu and Eve Goldberg. Those of you who have been watching the music trade news know that Borealis Records, after 25 years of supporting folk artists from across this land, was sold in 2021 to Linus/True North, and then resold again in 2023. It continues to exist, now under the ownership of a U.S. company. This led to a number of the original Borealis artists seeking to reform a new collective, 100% Canadian owned and still committed to the goals of the original. The new Borealis Music was launched at the Folk Alliance Conference in Montreal on Feb 20, 2025. We still believe in our core values: that this music is timeless, relevant and plays an important role in our everyday lives. We feel Folk and Roots music connects to our real lives in ways that algorithm sourced, corporate-driven, generic music cannot. As a new entity grows out of the space created when the previous Borealis left the Canadian community, we hope to continue to make the word Borealis synonymous with the very best in Canadian Folk and Roots music.
ARTISTS
Artists associated with Borealis Music include those signed to the label, distributed through our service, managed by CatBird Music and those using Borealis promotional services.
A vocal powerhouse, twice-awarded JUNO awards and one of the leaders of Indigenous Blues in North America. Latest album Sing Pretty Blues released April 11, 2025
Glitter Folk. LeVolume is Jenny Whiteley, Julian Brown and Joey Wright. Self-titled double album features both English and French songs, released April 28, 2025
Dedicated to Old-Time songs and stories, Lotus Wight's lyrics wrap up the absurdities of life on banjo, jaw-harp and contra-bass harmoniphoneum. Released May 8, 2025
Forged deep in Treaty 7 these Indigenous singer-songwriters from Saskatoon create from the heart with great songwriting and storytelling. What It Takes was released May 24, 2025
Confirmed to be one of Canada's greatest living songwriters, James Keelaghan continues to write record and tour internationally. New album coming 2026
Your Band Here!
I'm always looking for new Canadian Folk, Blues and americana artists. If you feel like you belong here, reach out.
Services Available
Borealis Music is connected with multiple service providers and collectively we get best rates for what you need.
You can use any of these whether you're on the label or management company or not. We love to work with musicians to problem solve whatever you're facing.
Working together, we can make a supportive community that sustains artists, ensures great music is made, and ensures Canadian songs and stories are discovered by audiences around the globe.
Cherry Wink
Manufacturing CDs and vinyl albums from our base in Ontario. We can set up distribution in stores in Europe, UK, US and Canada. We help you handle the project from start to finish. We get great rates as a collective organization, ask for a quote!
Catbird Music
Radio Promotion for folk, blues and roots artists. Jazz too! Global radio services with a focus on SiriusXM, NPR and campus DJs. Currently have 3 Top 10 artists on Indigenous Music Countdown and #2 Blues album in Canada! Radio gets you awareness and fans and can help build regional bases for tours, festivals and streams.
Sounds Good Marketing
Sounds Good is an artist growth & marketing partner. Using social and digital campaigns we do what it takes to ensure musicians can freely create and share their art with a lifestyle they can sustain.We help independent artists, bands and labels find their audience, build their brand, and monetize their fanbase.
Rocket Launcher Music
Royalties and publishing payments are confusing and time-consuming. Rob Brown will sort it all out with you! Rob has been working in royalties for more than a decade and knows the ins and outs on the international scene.
Catbird.ca
The company that started it all! 19 years of writing grants for artists, labels, managers, filmmakers, TV, game companies, festivals and arts organizations! I can help you manage your applications, reports and budgets. Let's talk about your projects and what I can do to help you out.
Borealis Music
Need digital distribution? I can get your music up on all the global music platforms. Need a playlisting promotion campaign? Can-do as well. Need a website, a marketing plan, a team? Just ask and we'll fill in where you need us. Management services include administration, royalty coordination, showcases and festival booking outreach.
ABOUT CAT BIRD
Most music people know me from Catbird.ca, a fundraising company for artists and organizations, that for 12 years represented Canadian artists all over the world. Through my work Catbird.ca raised more than $9-million in funds and has supported musicians, filmmakers, dancers, visual artists, game coders, TV producers and the many thousands of individuals who work in the music industry with these artists. I still write grants and teach grant writing at catbird.ca and at the Harris Institute for the Arts.
Then in 2019 I became Director of Business Development at Linus Entertainment. Linus was the home of Canadian outstanding record labels Stony Plain, True North, Children’s Group and Borealis Records. As the Head of the Marketing Department, I learned to promote recordings around the world through radio, publicity, playlisting, touring and advertising new and catalogue releases. Once Linus divested the catalogue and closed, I launched Catbird Music Inc and Borealis Music was born.
For more than 30 years I have worked in the entertainment industry, from starting an indie record label and publicity company in the 1990's, 12 years as the sponsorship and trade show coordinator for the NXNE Music Festival, launching the US bookings department of Paquin Entertainment Agency and being Executive Director for the Songwriters Association of Canada. In between were stints with Now Magazine, Jazz Expo and as an independent concert promoter and tour manager. My experience as advisor and consultant in project management and funding in the Arts has contributed to the success of thousands of artists and organizations.
Borealis Music is part of the Catbird Music Inc properties. It is separate from Borealis Records which is now owned by Round Hill Music, based in Nashville. If you're looking for Borealis Records catalogue, seek Round Hill out. If you're moving forward with a Canadian-centric mindset, then you're in the right place.