BUILDING YOUR CAREER IN HIP HOP

Speaker: Kyle Kraft - Battle Axe Music

Wednesday March 26th, 2008

5:30pm - 7pm

@ the Music BC office

#530 -425 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC

VERY LIMITED CAPACITY! YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT.

You will be turned away if you show up for the workshop and have not pre-registered.

FREE for Music BC members, email info@musicbc.org with your Name, Membership #, and event you wish to attend, to pre-register.

Available for non-members to attend, if space is available, and for a $25 fee, which must be paid in advance. Please phone 604-873-1914.

KYLE KRAFT

Kyle is a founding partner of Battle Axe Music, a music publishing and artist management company that has proven to remain a lucrative business while other areas of music industry have seen significant decline. Prior to broadening his horizons to concentrate on the whole music business, he spent six years in the record business as the General Manager of Vancouver-based independent label Battle Axe Records. During his tenure Battle Axe became one of the most successful independently owned and distributed hip hop labels in North America, releasing nearly 100 titles including certified platinum and gold albums, albums that have won Juno Awards, MuchMusic Video Awards, and various other music industry accolades. Kyle was involved in every aspect of the business (marketing, promotion, production, administration, etc), from the start up phase to the multi-million dollar annual business the company reached. He also assisted with the management and concert bookings of Canada’s best-selling hip hop group, as well as the career development next two most successful indie Canadian hip hop artists at the time.

 

Five years in the promotion business provided Kyle a strong background in marketing and event production, producing hundreds of live concerts and events, as well as several successful weekly club nights in Vancouver and Whistler. As a result of the various projects he’s been involved in, Kyle has been featured and interviewed in a fair amount of music-related media. Highlights of these media features include articles in international publications such as The Source and Vice magazines, plus several appearances on MuchMusic, commercial and college radio stations, the Georgia Straight, Vancouver Province, the Westender, Terminal City, and various college publications.

 

With that professional experience, Kyle has acted as a speaker on a variety of music, arts, and business-related workshop panels, and has been a guest speaker at several post secondary schools. He is a member of the music advisory committee for the Rap category of the Juno Awards (Canadian Grammies), and has also participated in numerous FACTOR juries, aiding in determining whether artists should receive funding in the form of grants and loans from the Department of Heritage branch of the federal government. In addition, he sits on the board of directors and executive committee of Music BC, British Columbia’s not-for-profit music industry association, whose primary mandate is to further the development of the province’s music industry. Kyle has also contributed his expertise to several companies, organizations, and artists in a consulting capacity.

 

With his background and the momentum achieved, Kyle looks forward to continuing to develop new opportunities, and to exploring how he may be able to contribute to projects with a large potential for growth.