Canadian band Metric announced a joint venture partnership between its label, Metric Music International (MMI), and Mom + Pop Records, which is part of QPrime management. The band self-released its latest album, "Fantasies," which has sold 85,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"To be clear, we are not signing with a label," says Metric's manager, Matt Drouin. "This is a joint venture deal between Mom + Pop and MMI. We retain our own masters, our own label, and have the ultimate control over decisions we make as a band."

Drouin adds that after several rounds of offers from labels of all sizes, Mom + Pop was the first label he came across that really "got it." "They had an understanding of what was important to us," he says. "When I first met with Michael Goldstone, he said to me that Jay-Z once said something to him, to the effect of 'if there is someone you want to be in business with, you should figure out some way to be in business with them.'"

"Thankfully, we don't have to operate with any constraints, which has enabled us to structure a deal that is forward thinking and is specifically unique to Metric," Goldstone added. "They have clearly built an importance to their career and have maintained their creative controls. We need that to be untouched in order to grow their audience and ensure their longevity. At Mom + Pop we are building an independent label with a major delivery system. With our ambition and resources, we are committed to the development of our artists and yet we are able to fully realize their (sales) potential. Having QPrime's staff to work artists on both Mom + Pop and QPrime, gives us respect, goodwill and clout in the music world."

The deal, which is for the US only, should provide big boosts to Metric in terms of staffing and radio promotion. "We had a top twenty hit at radio with a self-released album," says Drouin, "but I think there is a lot more we can do."

"Before this deal, we were doing everything out of our manager's office in Montreal," says guitarist Jimmy Shaw. "I'm excited to see what will happen when we staff up and have some additional weight."

Shaw says the band will continue to promote "Fantasies" for the rest of the year. Other artists on Mom + Pop include An Horse, Joshua Radin, and Tokyo Police Club.