Secretly Canadian has become the most desirable indie label in the US; or label group, rather, made up of Secretly, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans and the Numero Group.

Today, they release acts including Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jr, Mitski, Angel Olsen, Shame and Sharon Van Etten, but it all started in 1996, when Chris Swanson, his brother and a couple of friends decided to start a record label, having promoted shows in their college town where they’d give all of the money they made to the artists.

How how Chris did it, on the penultimate episode of Music Made Me Do It. Below or on your podcast app of choice.