Music

PREMIERE: Listen to People Put Out Productions' debut compilation

by Mark Teo

Photo: Soupcans, via Facebook

By now, the terms “community” and “collaboration” are buzz words we associate with douchey startups, soulless marketers, and ground-level condo business incubators. But in case of People Put Out Productions, an upstart Toronto-based collective, they’re two concepts that are taken very seriously—and unlike most, they’re not empty platitudes.

As the brainchild of two promoters—Big Things, a long-time supporter of Toronto’s independent music circles, and Mustache Rides, who were best known in the city’s garage / punk / power pop circles—PPOP is a merger. And through their first batch of shows, which resemble a three-day mini festival, their M.O. is apparent: Like All Toronto’s Parties, they’re built around multi-genre programming. They’re artist-centric and relentlessly transparent, even suggesting that they’d operate at a loss to properly pay bands. And they’ve built inclusivity into their charter—and they’re working with everyone from Odonis Odonis’s Buzz imprint to June Records to the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital.

“We want to bring a bunch of communities together,” says the collective’s co-founder Vanessa Marie Rose, who’s also involved with Coalition Music, an organization focused on artist management and education. “We feel like the music community needs to scratch each others backs a little more. We’re always open to suggestions and there’s always new bands and music happening.”

That inclusivity is what differentiates PPOP from many other promoters: Their commitment to throwing all-ages bashes has already earned them daps (although, they admit, all-ages shows can be difficult, as venues tend to rake in cash from drink sales). They’re also focusing heavily on donating proceeds to local charities, like the aforementioned Sick Kids. And to prove they’re serious, they’ve assembled their debut compilation, donating all its proceeds to non-profits. We’re happy to have the premiere.

The comp features exclusive tracks from CATL, Beat Noir, and Wasted Potential—along with contributions from city faves like Soupcans, Cellphone, the Victim Party and Philly Moves. Check it below.

Meanwhile, Joel French, who also helped launched the collective, brings another dynamic to the equation: As a musician with punk roots—we dig his efforts in power pop outfit Pink Wine—he says that PPOP will maintain a grassroots element. “We want to work with more people,” he says. “Our first ever conversation was that, no matter how big we get, we’re not going to stop putting on small shows. It’s awesome to see Fleetwood Mac at the ACC, but your most memorable shows will be in small, sweaty basements.”

Their collective approach to booking shows—their members, PPOP says, come from different backgrounds, with some handling sound boards and others handling social media marketing—evidently works; they reportedly have shows planned well into the summer. In the meantime, though, they’re prepping for their launch weekend in February—check out their initial batch of shows below.