Audiotree is an American music record label located in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, founded in 2011. The company

records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

and publishes live music sessions. It also promotes artists and organizes live events, and invites artists from around the world to enter a professional studio setting, to record, perform, and release a live EP free of cost.

History

Audiotree was founded in 2011 in Chicago by Michael Johnston and Adam Thurston, who saw the potential for a viable business recording live sessions for artist and sharing the revenue from sales. Michael Johnston was already working as an

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

in the Chicago area, and founded the company to help promote

independent artist Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

s and bands. Johnston was removed from his post as president and CEO of Audiotree following his arrest for felony unauthorized videotaping in November of 2021. In 2018 Audiotree announced its extension into Canada, collaborating with Paquin Entertainment Agency to create a Canadian artist discovery platform.

Live events

The company's series known as Audiotree Live is broadcast from the studio directly to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and the Audiotree website for fans to listen live. Audiotree company serves as one of the top music video outlets, having amassed over 700 thousand subscribers and 280 million video views on their YouTube channel as of 2022. Audiotree has held its annual Audiotree Music Festival since 2012. The festival is typically held in September, and takes place at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

. The festival was held every year until 2019, when Audiotree shifted their focus to hosting special concerts at their independently owned venues at Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. At the end of 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Audiotree began organizing live virtual concerts under a new segment called "Staged". This segment allowed fans to pay a small fee to join a private broadcast of the show, which they could stream as much as they want for 24 hours after completion. ''

Time Out Chicago ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition beca ...

'' noted that due to Audiotree's extensive prior experience with producing

streaming media Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

, the label was "uniquely equipped" to help bands keep performing online during the pandemic.

Business model

Audiotree typically shares revenue from sales of live session recordings with the artist, usually split 50:50. The company works mainly with musicians that are independent or on

independent music label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

s. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic's limitations on public gatherings created problems for music venues, leading Audiotree to release merchandise online to help afford maintenance and other venue fees.

Recording process

In 2015–2016, Audiotree released a series of videos showing behind the scenes of how they record music and prepare video and lighting. The studio holds a wide variety of

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...

s, ranging from the AKG 460 or the Royer 122 for acoustic guitar recordings, to a Telefunken M-82 used on the

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

. The company does on-the-spot sound mastering using

IZotope iZotope, Inc. is an audio technology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. iZotope develops professional audio software for audio recording, mixing, broadcast, sound design, and mastering which can be used in wide range of d ...

s Ozone 9 mastering

VST VST may refer to: * Vancouver School of Theology, a theological graduate school in British Columbia, Canada * VST, Stockholm Västerås Airport in Sweden (IATA airport code) * Vehicle safety technology * Virtual Studio Technology, Steinberg's stand ...

, and partnered with Antelope Audio for

analog audio Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which, among many possibilities, allows analog audio for later playback. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph. L ...

equipment in their control room. In 2017 Audiotree started a new series named Far Out sessions, taking their work outside of the studio and recording live music sessions away from traditional music venues.

Selected roster

A complete roster is available on the Audiotree website; the dates of the selected sessions below are from the metadata of the relevant session pages. *

Passafire Passafire is a reggae rock band based in Savannah, Georgia. History Formation and Self-titled album (2003–2006) Passafire was founded in 2003 by Savannah, Georgia natives Ted Bowne on vocals/guitar and Nick Kubley on drums who at the time wer ...

(January 29, 2012) *

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

(September 12, 2012 & February 5, 2016) *

Geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

(January 21, 2013 & October 16, 2015) *

K.Flay Kristine Meredith Flaherty (born June 30, 1985), better known as K.Flay, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and rapper. Her debut album '' Life as a Dog'' was released in 2014, peaking on ''Billboard''s Heatseekers Albums chart at No. ...

(February 21, 2013 & July 24, 2015) *

Shakey Graves Shakey Graves (born Alejandro Rose-Garcia; June 4, 1987) is an American Americana musician from Austin, Texas. His music combines blues, folk, country, and rock and roll. Rose-Garcia received his stage name at Old Settler's Music Festival in 20 ...

(June 20, 2013) *

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is an American indie rock band formed in Willimantic, Connecticut, in 2009. Following the release of several EPs and Split album, splits featuring original lead singer Thomas Diaz, t ...

(March 1, 2014) *

Nathaniel Rateliff Nathaniel David Rateliff (born October 7, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter based in Denver, Colorado, whose influences are described as folk, Americana and vintage rhythm & blues. Rateliff has performed with a backing band called the ...

(May 1, 2014) * Maybe April (July 22, 2014) *

Foxing Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, old paper money and certificates. The name may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains, or ...

(July 24, 2014) *

Glass Animals Glass Animals are an English indie pop band formed in Oxford in 2010. Founded and led by singer, songwriter, and producer Dave Bayley, the group also features his childhood friends Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer and Drew MacFarlane. Bayley wrote ...

(September 10, 2014) * Artifex Pereo (January 15, 2015) *

Rayland Baxter Rayland Baxter (stylized as rayLand baxter) is an American alternative country musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently signed to ATO Records. Baxter is the son of musician Bucky Baxter. He is 6-feet 5-inches tall. Early life Ba ...

(February 22, 2015) *

The Suffers The Suffers are an American soul, funk, and R&B group from Houston, Texas. The band consists of Kam Franklin (lead vocals), Juliet Terrill (bass guitar), Kevin Bernier (guitar), Jon Durbin (trumpet), Michael Razo (trombone), Jose Luna (percus ...

(April 7, 2015) *

Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...

(April 13, 2015) *

Genevieve Genevieve (french: link=no, Sainte Geneviève; la, Sancta Genovefa, Genoveva; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) is the patroness saint of Paris in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Her feast is on 3 January. Genevieve was born in Nanterre a ...

(April 28, 2015) *

The Main Squeeze The Main Squeeze is an American funk band from Bloomington, Indiana. History The Main Squeeze formed as a party band at Indiana University in 2010. In 2012, they released their first self-titled LP. Three years later, they released their secon ...

(June 9, 2015) *

Mitski Mitski Miyawaki (born Mitsuki Laycock; September 27, 1990), known professionally by the mononym Mitski, is a Japanese-born American singer-songwriter. Mitski self-released her first two albums, '' Lush'' (2012) and '' Retired from Sad, New Caree ...

(June 20, 2015) * Turnover (August 11, 2015) *

Mothers ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gesta ...

(September 23, 2015) * Amasa Hines (October 3, 2015) * Hemming (October 6, 2015) *

Emily King Emily King (born July 10, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her first album '' East Side Story'' was released in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporar ...

(October 28, 2015) *

Jill Andrews Jill Andrews is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. She co-founded the indie folk/alt-country band The Everybodyfields, leaving in 2009 to pursue a solo career. In 2018, she co-founded the duo Hush Kids with Peter Gro ...

(November 9, 2015) *

The Bottle Rockets The Bottle Rockets were an American rock band formed in Festus, Missouri in 1992, and was based in St. Louis, Missouri. Its founding members were Brian Henneman (guitar, vocals), Mark Ortmann (drums), Tom Parr (1992–2002, guitar, vocals) and To ...

(November 23, 2015) * Jared & The Mill (December 4, 2015) * Charly Bliss (January 15, 2016) * Julien Baker (January 16, 2016) *

Low Cut Connie Low Cut Connie is an American rock and roll band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Low Cut Connie has become the alter ego for frontman, pianist, and songwriter Adam Weiner, who has been the band's only constant member since its formation. Beg ...

(February 22, 2016) *

The Wild Reeds The Wild Reeds are an American indie band based in Los Angeles, California. History The founding members of the Wild Reeds were its three multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriters, Mackenzie Howe, Kinsey Lee and Sharon Silva. They first met as con ...

(February 25, 2016) *

Raging Fyah Raging Fyah is five-piece reggae band from Kingston, Jamaica, formed in 2006. They released their first album in 2011, and in 2016 signed to VP Records, with third album ''Everlasting'' earning them a Grammy nomination. Career Delroy "Pele" Hamil ...

(March 19, 2016) * Escondido (March 24, 2016) *

Lucy Dacus Lucy Elizabeth Dacus (born May 2, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus attracted attention with her debut album '' No Burden'' (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Her secon ...

(March 28, 2016) * Covet (March 30, 2016) *

The Yawpers The Yawpers are a three-piece rock and roll band from Denver, Colorado. Their name is derived from a Walt Whitman poem, entitled " Song of Myself" from ''Leaves of Grass:'' "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." The Yawpers play ...

(April 5, 2016) * Pinegrove (April 30, 2016) *

Lydia Loveless Lydia Loveless (born September 4, 1990; as Lydia Ankrom) is an American alternative country singer-songwriter from Columbus, Ohio. Her music combines pop music, classic country, honky tonk, and punk rock. Early life Loveless was born in Cos ...

(July 8, 2016) *

Liz Cooper & The Stampede Liz Cooper & The Stampede is a three-piece American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. NPR described their music as "a seamless balance of muted rhythmic sounds and propulsive drive that feels so good". Overview Liz Cooper spent the majority ...

(October 10, 2016) * Rainbow Kitten Surprise (January 26, 2017) *

Crying Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secr ...

(March 2, 2017) *

Slothrust Slothrust ''(pronounced sloth-rust, IPA: '' slɔθ.rʌst') '' is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2010. Background Slothrust consists of Leah Wellbaum (vocals, guitar) and Will Gorin (drums). Wellbaum and Go ...

(March 10, 2017) *

Sinai Vessel Sinai Vessel is the stage name of American indie rock musician Caleb Cordes from North Carolina. The project was originally a trio, but now consists just of Cordes. History Sinai Vessel began as the solo project of musician Caleb Cordes. Since th ...

(April 6, 2017 & April 21, 2021) *

Snail Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

(June 2, 2017) * Forth Wanderers (June 8, 2017) * Andrea von Kampen (June 9, 2017) * Ratboys (June 30, 2017) *

Pet Symmetry Pet Symmetry is an American emo band from Chicago, Illinois. The band formed in 2012, and they are currently signed to Storm Chaser Records. The band's name is a play on words taken from Stephen King's novel ''Pet Sematary''. History Pet Symmet ...

(July 17, 2017) *

Camp Cope Camp Cope are an Australian alternative rock trio formed in 2015 in Melbourne, Victoria. The group consists of lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Georgia "Georgia Maq" McDonald, bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, and drummer Sarah "Thomo" Thomp ...

(July 21, 2017) *

Nicole Atkins Nicole Atkins (born October 1, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter. Her influences include 1950s crooner music, 1960s psychedelia, soul music, and the Brill Building style of writing. Atkins has been compared to Roy Orbison and singers from ...

(August 9, 2017) *

Larkin Poe Larkin Poe is an American roots rock band originally from north Georgia, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, and fronted by sisters Rebecca Lovell (born January 30, 1991) and Megan Lovell (born May 12, 1989). Featuring strong southern harmo ...

(August 28, 2017) * Strange Ranger (September 7, 2017) *

Soccer Mommy Sophia Regina Allison (born May 27, 1997), better known by her stage name Soccer Mommy, is an American singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. History Born in Zürich, Switzerland in 1997 to Michelle, an elementary school teacher, and Jo ...

(September 14, 2017) * Wild Pink (September 29, 2017) * Peach Pit (October 17, 2017) * Cuco (January 17, 2018) *

Samantha Fish Samantha Fish (born January 30, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Kansas City, Missouri. While often cited as a blues artist, Fish's albums and live shows feature multiple genres, including Rock music, rock, Country musi ...

(January 29, 2018) * Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears (October 4, 2018) * Beach Bunny (November 20, 2018) *

The Accidentals The Accidentals are an American band, formed in Traverse City, Michigan in 2012 by singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Sav Buist and Katie Larson. The group has featured an eclectic blend of indie folk, pop, bluegrass, rock, classica ...

(January 3, 2019) * Emily Blue (January 10, 2019) *

Laura Stevenson Laura Anne Stevenson (born April 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, and formerly a keyboard player for the musical collective Bomb the Music Industry! Biography Stevenson was raised in Nassau County, New Yo ...

(May 30, 2019) * Vansire (August 8, 2019) *

We Are The Union We Are the Union is an American ska punk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan formed in 2005. The band is now based out of Michigan, California and Florida. The band has had numerous lineup changes since its inception, with vocalist/guitarist Reade Wol ...

(September 18, 2019) * Yours Truly (October 8, 2019) * Mega Bog (October 10, 2019) *

Phum Viphurit Viphurit Siritip ( th, วิภูริศ ศิริทิพย์, born 1995), known by his nickname Phum (), is a Thai singer-songwriter. He achieved international fame in 2018 from his single "Lover Boy". His music demonstrates influence ...

(October 15, 2019) * Tasha (January 9, 2020) *

Marco Benevento Marco Benevento (born July 22, 1977) is an American pianist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who has been a fixture of the New York experimental music rock and jazz scene since 1999. He is the founder and recording e ...

(November 8, 2019) *

Heart Attack Man Heart Attack Man is an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. History Heart Attack Man released a demo in 2013. In 2014, the band released their first EP titled ''Acid Rain'' on Mayfly Records, On March 3, 2017, Heart Attack Man released ...

(January 14, 2020) *

Kneebody Kneebody is an American band formed in 2001, consisting of Adam Benjamin on keyboards, Shane Endsley on trumpet, Ben Wendel on tenor saxophone, and Nate Wood on bass guitar and drums. History Ben Wendel, Shane Endsley, Adam Benjamin, and Kaveh ...

(February 10, 2020) *

Reuben and the Dark Reuben and the Dark are a Canadian indie folk band from Calgary, Alberta. Led by singer and songwriter Reuben Bullock,Stonefield (March 18, 2020) * Tenci (September 29, 2020) * Charmer (December 7, 2020)

References

{{Authority control American independent record labels 2011 establishments in Illinois