Sonic Unyon Records & Distribution has been operating for almost fifteen years. Initially a record label releasing music for local artists, the company has grown into a well-recognized and award-winning record label with international distribution that has released records for such bands as Hayden, Danko Jones, Trigger Happy, Treble Charger, Gorp, Chore, Shallow North Dakota, Kittens, Tricky Woo, Thrush Hermit, Tristan Psionic, Simply Saucer, Tangiers, Frank Black and the Catholics, The Pixies, Crooked Fingers, The Jesus Lizard, Jens Lekman, Andre Ethier (of the Deadly Snakes), Death Cab for Cutie & more. Sonic Unyon is also a national distributor and retail outlet for hundreds of other independent labels.
Mark Milne, Sandy McIntosh and Tim Potocic, all members of the band Tristan Psionic, started the Sonic Unyon label in 1993. Still in university at the time, Sandy and Mark began dubbing tapes for their own and other local bands on a pair of tape decks. When the two took on Tim as the band's new drummer, they had unknowingly found the final partner required to operate their dream business.
From the beginning, the company's mandate has been to foster awareness of undiscovered musical talent while offering artists a chance to become successful, independent of major label influences. Sonic Unyon hoped to fill a gap they saw existing in their musical community, a gap that could previously only be bridged by an independent artist's leap to a major label.
Sonic Unyon has since managed to span this void by aggressively marketing and distributing their artists, making it virtually impossible for the music industry to ignore them. Functioning on a shoestring budget supplemented by persistence and ingenuity, Sonic Unyon has managed to achieve sales that the major labels could never dream of attaining under the same circumstances.
In addition to the releasing and promotion of our label artists, Sonic Unyon also took on the distribution of their records nationally across Canada. By refusing to rely on the poor existing distribution systems, Sonic Unyon has been able to ensure their recordings are in the stores and in the process established a reliable distribution company known worldwide for its work in Canada. In addition, they distribute domestic and international CDs and DVDs to Canadian chains such as HMV, Music World (Pindoff Record Sales), CD Plus, Chapters-Indigo, A&B Sound, Sunrise Records, Future Shop and many independent retail outlets. In the last four years Sonic Unyon Distribution has expanded in its distribution by offering the product of the five major Canadian labels (BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner) to its independent accounts. These 'One Stop' sales have been an important area of growth for the company in the past 4 years. While wearing the 'distribution cap', the company deals with hundreds of accounts nationwide, including all of Canada's major chains, and distributes over 200 labels including Constellation, Alien8, Fat Wreck Chords, Fearless, G7, Hydra Head, Revelation, and Secretly Canadian.
In October of 1998, Sonic Unyon opened a retail store simply named The Sonic Unyon Store in Hamilton, Ontario specializing in music the chain stores do not provide. They humbly believe they have the best selection of indie, punk, hardcore, metal, electronic, hip-hop, jazz and improv, experimental and blues to be found in the province.
Today, two of the company's founders remain, along with sixteen employees, a crew of co-op students and volunteers. Taking care of publicity, graphics, distribution, accounting, and everything else involved in running an independent label, record store and distribution company is pretty demanding. Between keeping an ever-expanding roster of artists happy and trying to sustain the creative drive, and there is a not a moment of spare time.
2006 has been one of the most exciting years for Sonic Unyon that has seen our building busting at the seams as we turn two of our three floors into warehouse to accommodate our new distributed labels Century Media and Abacus Records. Sonic Unyon Records welcomed a change in US distributors by joining the legendary Caroline roster of distributed labels, while adding a few new bands to the label like Aereogramme, Ad Astra Per Aspera and The Ghost Is Dancing.
As we approach 2007 there is no telling what madness we will partake in and how big things will grow, one thing is for sure, we are turning FIFTEEN and we plan on celebrating in a big way.
From the beginning, the company's mandate has been to foster awareness of undiscovered musical talent while offering artists a chance to become successful, independent of major label influences. Sonic Unyon hoped to fill a gap they saw existing in their musical community, a gap that could previously only be bridged by an independent artist's leap to a major label.
Sonic Unyon has since managed to span this void by aggressively marketing and distributing their artists, making it virtually impossible for the music industry to ignore them. Functioning on a shoestring budget supplemented by persistence and ingenuity, Sonic Unyon has managed to achieve sales that the major labels could never dream of attaining under the same circumstances.
In addition to the releasing and promotion of our label artists, Sonic Unyon also took on the distribution of their records nationally across Canada. By refusing to rely on the poor existing distribution systems, Sonic Unyon has been able to ensure their recordings are in the stores and in the process established a reliable distribution company known worldwide for its work in Canada. In addition, they distribute domestic and international CDs and DVDs to Canadian chains such as HMV, Music World (Pindoff Record Sales), CD Plus, Chapters-Indigo, A&B Sound, Sunrise Records, Future Shop and many independent retail outlets. In the last four years Sonic Unyon Distribution has expanded in its distribution by offering the product of the five major Canadian labels (BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner) to its independent accounts. These 'One Stop' sales have been an important area of growth for the company in the past 4 years. While wearing the 'distribution cap', the company deals with hundreds of accounts nationwide, including all of Canada's major chains, and distributes over 200 labels including Constellation, Alien8, Fat Wreck Chords, Fearless, G7, Hydra Head, Revelation, and Secretly Canadian.
In October of 1998, Sonic Unyon opened a retail store simply named The Sonic Unyon Store in Hamilton, Ontario specializing in music the chain stores do not provide. They humbly believe they have the best selection of indie, punk, hardcore, metal, electronic, hip-hop, jazz and improv, experimental and blues to be found in the province.
Today, two of the company's founders remain, along with sixteen employees, a crew of co-op students and volunteers. Taking care of publicity, graphics, distribution, accounting, and everything else involved in running an independent label, record store and distribution company is pretty demanding. Between keeping an ever-expanding roster of artists happy and trying to sustain the creative drive, and there is a not a moment of spare time.
2006 has been one of the most exciting years for Sonic Unyon that has seen our building busting at the seams as we turn two of our three floors into warehouse to accommodate our new distributed labels Century Media and Abacus Records. Sonic Unyon Records welcomed a change in US distributors by joining the legendary Caroline roster of distributed labels, while adding a few new bands to the label like Aereogramme, Ad Astra Per Aspera and The Ghost Is Dancing.
As we approach 2007 there is no telling what madness we will partake in and how big things will grow, one thing is for sure, we are turning FIFTEEN and we plan on celebrating in a big way.
