The AMAZING Story Behind FRETMONKEY RECORDS!

Have you heard about the record label founded by 23 artists across the world whose mission is to change the trajectory of the music industry on behalf of all DIY musicians across the globe? Neither have we….until now!

Although FRETMONKEY™ RECORDS formed in late 2015 as an audio and music video production studio by Kevin Blake Goodwin and his family, it was an inspired vision of uniting independent, talented musicians across the globe under one collaborative record label that led to the unique formation of FRETMONKEY™ RECORDS – the record label. What Goodwin found were 22 other award-winning and notable musicians spanning10 countries who felt exactly the same way. The concept evolved and their efforts resulted in a one-of-a-kind, innovative artist-ran record label where the artists inform the decision-making and day-to-day operations of the label. With the premise that they are collectively stronger as a community of musicians rather than as solo independent artists, their mission is to capitalize on their collective voice to create career-changing opportunities for themselves and to create similar opportunities for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) musicians across the globe.

The record label represents award winning artists like Don Alder (winner of all top guitar competitions in the world), Gary Lutton (winner of the UK-based televised competition Guitar Star), Jake Hertzog (winner of the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition), Manan Gupta (winner of the prestigious international Lee Reitner’s Six String Theory Competition), Travis Bowman (winner of the national Ernie Ball Acoustic Prodigy contest), Kevin Blake Goodwin, Justin St- Pierre and Jamie Dupuis (winners of the international Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition), and Ali Deniz Kardelen (Indiana Fingerstyle Guitar champion). The label also represents acclaimed musicians like Adrian Bellue, Adam Crossman, Aaron Edward, Kyle Horn, Haythem Mohammed, Raf Qu, Oscar Mendez, Geordie Little, Anthony Troy, Joseph Lyle, Dana Merritt, Jacob Quistgaard (Quist), Kris Schulz, and singer-songwriter acoustic pop sensation Tyler Sellers.

From the label's inception, others have played an instrumental role in the label's success including Mark Grover who serves at the label's tablature transcriptionist and merch manager, and Elliot Prestwhich whose expertise in artist management and in the entertainment industry have been a guiding force. Along with Kevin Blake Goodwin and his family (Dennis, Alicia, and his wife Brooke) providing the man-power behind the day-to-day operations, the artists engage in daily communication and contribute their time and services to the operation of the label.

Beyond the RECORD Label, FRETMONKEY produces a popular weekly syndicated guitar internet radio show, "Slap Nutz," that airs in the United States, Canada, South Africa, and the UK with a potential audience of up to 1 million monthly listeners! We have also launched a 24/7 live-streaming FRETMONKEY Playlist and have expanded our reach through corporate partnerships in the music industry and by sponsoring such events like the Berlin Acoustic Guitar Night, the Alchemy Singer-Songwriter competition, and notable guitar competitions like the Canadian, Indiana, and the Arkansas fingerstyle guitar competitions. We have also released the first of a series of quarterly album compilations with companion tablature books highlighting FRETMONKEY artists, and have expanded into film and TV placement. We have secured a top-notch Los Angeles-based co-management team, J2 Music, to help us usher in this new era in the music industry. Our 2017 debut of FRETMONKEY NATION, a social media-driven website platform designed to bring community and similar opportunities to DIY musicians across the globe, forwards our vision to be “the most progressive record label in the guitar world!”

We are excited about 2017 and all that is in store for us and you, our fans and talented musicians across the world! We hope you will continue to support our mission. We do it for you!!!

We like to think our story is reminiscent of a famous quote by Margaret Mead - “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”