Nettwerk Music Group is Canada's leading privately
owned record label and artist management company. Nettwerk is
responsible for managing some of Canada's biggest artists like
Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies and many
others. The label was founded in 1984 by Terry McBride, Mark
Jowett, and Ric Arboit in McBride's small Vancouver apartment,
initially to release albums by Jowett's band Moev. Additional
branches of Nettwerk exist in New York City, Los Angeles, London
UK, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg, Germany.
Nettwerk has joined the fight against the RIAA
by offering to pay the legal fees of a teenager in Texas who is
being sued for downloading songs. They will also pay any fines
if they lose the case. They came in contact with the teen when
she wrote to MC Lars (who is managed by Nettwerk) about his
song, "Download This Song". Nettwerk is one of the first
major music companies to abolish DRM releasing songs in the
unrestricted MP3 format. Nettwerk is also the first major music
company to have their music listed on Amie Street.