Kyle "Krafty" Kraft
Kyle "Krafty" Kraft is the founder of music business development coaching company Krafty Entertainment and is also a founding partner of music publishing company Battle Axe Music. Prior to diversifying into all of the income streams in the music business in 2006, Kyle spent over half a decade in the record business as the General Manager of independent label Battle Axe Records. During his tenure Battle Axe Records became one of the most successful independently owned and distributed hip hop labels in North America, releasing nearly a hundred titles including certified platinum and gold albums, albums that have won Juno Awards (Canadian Grammies), MuchMusic Video Awards, and various other music industry accolades. Kyle was involved in every aspect of the business (including marketing, promotion, post-production project management, securing funding, administration, etc), from the start up phase to the multi-million dollar annual business the company reached. He also assisted with the management and concert bookings of Canada's best-selling hip hop group, as well as the career development of the next two most successful independent Canadian hip hop artists at the time.
Kyle got an eye-opening (though not always lucrative) start in the music business via the labor of love that is the live concert promotion business. Five years as a promoter provided him with a strong foundation in marketing and event production as he organized hundreds of live concerts and events, as well as several successful weekly club nights in Vancouver and Whistler. While not currently producing shows in their entirety himself, Kyle remains involved in the live show business on behalf of artists he works with, and has been involved in the booking and promotion of thousands of concerts. As a result of the various projects he's been involved in, Kyle has been featured and interviewed in a fair amount of music-related media. Highlights of these media features include articles in international publications such as Complex, Vice, and The Source, plus several appearances on MuchMusic, commercial and college radio stations, The Georgia Straight, Vancouver Province, The Westender, The Seattle Stranger, and various college publications.
Sharing the knowledge he has gained from his professional experience, Kyle has been a speaker on a variety of music, arts, and business-related workshop panels, and has guest lectured at several post secondary schools. He is the chairperson of the music advisory committee for the Rap category of the JUNO Awards, and has also sat on over a dozen FACTOR juries, aiding in determining whether artists should receive funding in the form of grants and loans from the Department of Heritage branch of the Canadian federal government. The knowledge he gained from participating in those juries combined with hands-on experience working on projects that have received over $6,000,000 in grant funding has allowed Kyle to personally write applications that have successfully secured over $5,000,000 in funding for his clients. He has also assisted in generating millions of dollars more via marketing campaigns he’s helped orchestrate.
Kyle provides guidance to both developing artists as well as those who gross millions of dollars a year, also contributes his knowledge to numerous companies' and organizations' advancement, and considers himself fortunate to be able to support his family being involved in something he is passionate about. With his background and the momentum achieved, Kyle looks forward to continuing to develop new opportunities, and to exploring how he may be able to contribute to projects with a large potential for growth.
Read some of the articles Kyle has written about music marketing here.
