About Us

Moshpit Tragedy Records is a punk/metal label from Canada, who are proudly the very first label to adopt a 'pay-what-you-want-even-nothing' download concept.

Website visitors can set their own price (or pay nothing) to download entire official albums, complete with print-ready artwork and instructions how to make their own sleeve.

MTR's roots go back to the mid nineties, booking punk concerts in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The name came about after one of these shows when founder Rayny Forster was brought to the emergency room and a doctor dubbed him a "moshpit tragedy."

Although the intention was to become a record label, it wasn't until early 2006 that the first releases were issued. Later that year the label moved to Montreal, Quebec.

After difficulties with their distributor, MTR abandoned releasing CDs altogether and the first 8 'sliding-scale' albums were issued in December 2007. With virtually no advertising budget approximately 12,000 downloads were reported that first year.

In January 2008, Metal Hammer published an article in which Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob 'Blasko' Nicholson stated "This model could very well be the future of all indie labels."