After making music for 20 years and being the first woman to take home the Nova Scotia Music Week Producer Of The Year, Erin Costelo is now announcing that she is starting her own music label. Being a bit of a genre outlier herself, Costelo’s Venue Records will be home to artists who touch her heart and who don’t fit squarely into any one genre.
What started as an avenue for releasing her own music is now expanding to become home to other musicians who Costelo feels need to be heard.
“Finding a home in the industry for what I do has been challenging,” said Costelo in a Facebook announcement. “It has been described as undefinable. In this day and age, that has not always felt like a positive. I decided, a few years ago to create a home for my own music. My last two records were released in Canada on this label. Quietly. As a way to gain access to distribution and to find a path to send it out into the world.
“I decided this year, that if there were projects by others that I absolutely fell in love with, and felt that I could help send into the world, that I would open the doors of Venue Records. I wanted to provide a home for those artists.”
The first artist she has signed is Leanne Hoffman, another genre-bending artist within the local industry. Costelo describes Hoffman’s upcoming album as “stunning” and also characterizes her work as witty and brilliantly written.
“Leanne was an effortless and easy choice. I love her as a person and a songwriter and if I can do anything to bring attention to her work that felt important,” says Costelo.
Though it wasn’t always in her plans to launch a record label, the creation of Venue Records seems a natural fit for an artist of her stature.
For her formal launch on April 12th, Costelo will be celebrating the introduction of Venue Records by throwing a party at the Marquee Ballroom in Halifax. The event will include music and a sneak peek at some music from Hoffman’s to-be-released album.
Tickets for the launch party are currently available on Eventbrite HERE.
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