The underground music blog Weird Canada has expanded to include an online store called Wyrd Distro that sells music from emerging and experimental artists.
Weird Canada started in 2009 as a volunteer-run, non-profit online resource pool connecting Canadian musicians to the public, according to volunteer Rachel Weldon. Posts on the blog focus on artists who make music themselves, release it independently, and who feel marginalized by their local music scene.
“The Wyrd Distro is the next step,” Weldon said. “It’s something that we’ve always wanted to do—to provide that resource for people to not only just hear this music, but to hold it in their hands.”
It is Canada’s only non-profit online store focusing exclusively on physically released music—such as cassettes, vinyl records, and CDs—from emerging Canadian artists, Weldon said. The site sells and distributes the music with the profits going back to the artists.
The Distro launched Feb. 15 with gatherings in 18 cities across Canada. These gatherings acted as information sessions, and drop-boxes were provided so local artists could consign their music to the service.
Weldon organized the Ottawa event with another volunteer at Pressed Cafe on Gladstone Avenue. Ottawa band Organ Eyes performed at the launch, and were joined by local record labels Bruised Tongue and E-Tron Records.
“Everyone is really excited about this service,” Weldon said. “A lot of people are calling it a game changer.”
