Philadelphia doesn't always get national recognition for its music scene, but that's certainly not because of any shortage of talent. Philly artists deserve access to industry networks and resources that match how rich and creative the scene is here. We founded Cryptid Records because we want to help keep that talent in our city and so that artists don't feel like they have to move to a bigger music city such as New York, L.A., or Nashville to have access to a label or industry connects.
Who we are
Cryptid Records is an artist-centered independent record label based in Philadelphia. Our mission is to clear a path for artists to thrive. That means supporting artists as whole human beings and strategically planning to reduce burnout and increase sustainability as it relates to financial, physical, and mental health. We're working toward an industry where community matters, artists thrive, and contracts don't come with fangs.
Our team has diverse backgrounds in music, visual art, mental health, and business strategy. We love working with musicians and artists and are dedicated to cultivating a community of folks connected to the music industry who share our commitment to transparency, equity, and artist well-being.
What we’re up to
We do a few different things, but it all comes back to taking care of the folks making music and having fun.
Artist wellbeing: The music industry (and every other industry tbh) has a lot of burnout. On top of the pressure of just living under all the shitty systems that make up our society, the music industry (like any creative industry) comes with some unique mental health and wellbeing challenges. Having your personality, experiences, and identity so tied to your professional output takes a huge toll. If your boss thinks you wrote a subpar third quarter financial report and tells you to go re-do it, that’s a bit less devastating than randos on the internet talking about how your trauma is contrived and your lyrics don’t hit when you’re writing from experience.
As a team with lots of experience writing, producing, recording, performing, touring, and promoting music, we 100% get how the pressure, the precarity, and the constant demand to perform online can wear you down. Mental health and wellbeing support are core to how we partner with artists. For example we offer wellness stipends to our signed artists, tour wellbeing planning, and mental health trainings for artists, bands, and their teams. Check out more info. about our wellness initiatives here.
Merch: Every piece of merch we sell is designed by human artists and our clothing is screen-printed by hand, in-house, in our Philly studio. We have a mix of cryptid-inspired designs and creatures, and general designs that we think are funny. We’re a lifestyle brand with a purpose; every purchase directly funds the wellness programs that support our artists and allows us to host free and low-cost educational and networking events for the music community.
Community building: We host free and low-cost educational workshops, artist showcases, music buddies mixers for people who want to meet new friends to check out shows with, and music collaborator networking events.
Typical label stuff: We're proud to work with our signed artists such as Hit Like a Girl and Madska. We also love working with artists on their projects via our label services, such as release strategy consultations, distribution deals, and digital marketing campaigns, which folks can hire us to support.
Having fun: Last, but very much not least, we’re super committed to having fun with everything we do. We’re all about bringing whimsy and joy back into the music industry. We’re always thinking about the next goofy event we can host or a more unhinged shirt we can design.
Where you come in
If you love music and/or you love Philly, there's an easy place to start: shop our merch and grab something hand-made. (By us. Probably by Abby specifically. With love. And with ink.) Every purchase funds our artist-centered work and wellness programs. Or come out to one of our events and meet us in person! We add new events to our calendar regularly, the best way to keep up with calendar updates is to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram.
— The Cryptid Records Team
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