User:Sprams/FOF Records

FOF Records is a Canadian record label and subsidiary of Fortress Of Freedom Inc. with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. The label has 21 artists under contract as either stand-alone musical acts/bands or commercial performers for advertising and television work. FOF Record artists have appeared on national television (CTV and Global Television Network) and on some of the largest radio stations in Canada.

History
FOF Records was originally known as "Fortress Of Freedom Inc." which is a media access portal set up in 2004 to enable artists of all kinds access the mass media. The idea for this type of organization came from its founder Maurice Ali as stated in his book "Protest! The Fall Of Civil Disobedience") and concerns the lack of broadcast media access for creative people of all forms in the new millennium. The corporation is also a book publisher and runs a newspaper (The Fortress Newspaper ) with editorial control from a non-profit journalist organization (International Association Of Independent Journalists ) and also produces short films and documentaries.  The production of music came from a need for theme music and entertainment for the film and television productions. Music was mostly recorded and produced at Metalworks Studios in Toronto.  Music production grew and was successful enough to become its own business called "FOF Records"" although the Fortress Of Freedom Corporation is still listed as music publisher  by SOCAN.   CDs from all artists were sold at some of the largest music retail chains in Canada such as "Sam the Record Man" and Sunrise Music," and lately at Internet sites such as "iTunes." The label also has a presence in England with a office and access to the EU market. The record label thrives today when many have failed due to its ability to pay for music production through its use in advertising and television theme music, and the cost saving from music videos by also being in television production. This new form of record label and business model was presented to music industry insiders and broadcasters at Canadian Music Week held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada in 2008.

Distribution
Music production is in Canada, with marketing in Canada and England with secondary markets being U.S.A, Germany and Japan. Music sales are now almost all Internet available world wide.

Music play on traditional broadcast media has the label's largest audience of 548,000 listeners for "Donald "Boots" Brasseur" and his album "Memories of Christmas" on CFZM (AM740) which has the second largest broadcast footprint (largest being WGN in Chicago) in North America. "Shane and "AAVRY KNAPP" and others have seen play on CFNY (The Edge) and on CKLN and CIUT. In television the label's largest audience is through network TV productions.  The first television show to showcase FOF Records artists was on "The Fortress TV Show"." (evening of September 18, 2005 after Saturday Night Live) which played on the Global Television Network via terrestrial signal in Ontario and nationally through cable and satellite to a broadcast population of about 35 million. The latest television show called "The Life and Times Of Donald "Boots" Brasseur" on July 26, 2009 at 10:30 am) was broadcast through the CTV Television Network via terrestrial signal in Ontario and Alberta and cable and satellite nation-wide with some play in the United States of America.  Other productions include:  The Making Of AAVRY KNAPP Daze In My Life, Fortress Variety Show Real Life.

Operations
FOF Records is a subsidiary of Fortress of Freedom Inc. which is a nationally registered corporation capable of operating internationally. The Corporation uses music production for its own productions and licences that music for use in advertising and movie/television work through More Vision Inc. More Vision Inc. is a nationally registered corporation which operates as an advertising agency in Canada and abroad and was founded by Maurice Ali and is loosely affiliated with Fortress Of Freedom Inc. which is one of its largest clients. In June of 2010, More Vision Inc. signed a multi-year contract with Corus Entertainment for advertising in the company's 50 radio stations and 23 television stations. FOF Records/Fortress Of Freedom Inc. are home to a growing number of musical artists (both full and part-time) who use the company to start their career in music by exposure in advertising and television productions with the occasional artist being signed up for traditional music recording.