Judge & Jury Records is an American record label and production company founded in 2021 by Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (P.O.D., My Chemical Romance, Daughtry), and Canadian musician Neil Sanderson, drummer and co-founder of Multi-platinum Hard Rock band Three Days Grace, who have sold more than 13 million albums in the US. Based in Los Angeles, the company focuses primarily on rock and metal artists, and includes engineer Mike Plotnikoff (Papa Roach, Kiss, Van Halen) and producer/mixer Joe Rickard (Starset, In Flames, Limp Bizkit) among its core collaborators.
History The partnership between Benson and Sanderson dates back to 2006, when Benson produced Three Days Grace's triple-platinum sophomore album One-X., which would go on to become their most commercially successful album to date, featuring the hit singles "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Riot", and "Never Too Late". Benson later produced the band's follow-ups Life Starts Now, Outsider, Explosions, and Alienation.
In an interview with Grammy.com, Benson stated that the idea for launching the label stemmed from his desire for greater creative and commercial control over projects he produced, citing frustration with traditional royalty structures and project outcomes.
Benson and Sanderson first signed singer Diamante to a production deal and self-financed her record after she was dropped by her previous label; that collaboration's success ultimately led to the formation of Judge & Jury Records in 2021.
The company achieved early recognition with the release of Waiting on the Sky to Change, a collaboration between Starset and Breaking Benjamin, which reached No. 1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart in 2022. Since then, the label's roster has expanded to include artists such as Saliva, Butcher Babies, and Alien Ant Farm, among others.
Operations Judge & Jury was launched by Howard Benson and Neil Sanderson to bridge the gap between traditional record production and the evolving needs of modern artists, operating as both a record label and production entity, emphasizing artist partnerships that integrate creative direction, marketing, and distribution strategies.
Over time, Judge & Jury Records expanded into full-scale releases, worldwide distribution collaborations, and cross-platform media campaigns, while Benson and Sanderson built an in-house production and songwriting team, working with a range of prominent rock and metal acts. The label operates on a self-financed model that allows for a 50/50 royalty split with artists — a major departure from the lower royalty percentages typical of traditional producer agreements.
The label has also earned recognition for its cross-generational approach, working with legacy acts while supporting new and emerging artists.
Judge & Jury's success model has been highlighted by outlets such as Forbes and Billboard for adapting the traditional label system into a producer-driven framework that allows both creative and financial independence for artists and producers alike.
Artists Judge & Jury's roster includes a variety of active rock, alternative, and metal artists. The label is known for balancing veteran acts with rising talent.
12 Stones Alien Ant Farm Bobby Amaru Butcher Babies Caleb Hyles Dead Rabbitts Dream Beard Earshot Emily Wolfe GORODA Hoobastank Jonathan Young Judge & Jury LYLVC Lyric Noel Saliva Silos Stitched Up Heart Veda
Discography and releases
Discography Year Artist Title Featured Artists 2021 Jonathan Young "Land of the Living" (Single) —Jonathan Young"Divided" (Single)—Jonathan Young"Damage Done" (Single)RichaadEBJonathan Young"Rebel Yell" (Single)Lukas Rossi Mitch JonesBroken (EP) ("Emily" and "West Coast Tragedy" Only) Kala; Ouse; MayaEdge of Paradise"Love Reign Over Me" (Single) 2022 Mitch Jones "West Coast Tragedy (Judge & Jury Mix)" (Single) Kala Mitch Jones "Darkness" (Single) Escape the Fate Starset "Waiting on the Sky to Change" (Single) Breaking Benjamin 2023 Kala Diary of a Depressed Creative Kellin Quinn; Luke Holland; Billy Martin Left To Suffer Noah (EP) Heirloom Romanticize Lauren Babic; Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer) Judge & Jury "The Urge" (Single) Tyler Connolly (Theory of A Deadman) Judge & Jury "Disarm" (Single) Caleb Hyles; Edge Of Paradise Judge & Jury "Eventually" (Single) Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace) 2024 Silos Insatiable (Remixes, Vol. 1) (Remix EP) Orgy; BLVCK CROWZ;SilosInsatiable (Remixes, Vol. 2) (Remix EP)Pixel Terror, The Haunt, CrazyTown; Traveler Jonathan Young Children of the Night Matthew K. Heafy; Barry Stock (Three Days Grace); Caleb Hyles; Colm McGuinness, Lauren Babic; Jonathan Young Veda "Wannabe Me" (Single) — Butcher Babies "Sincerity" (Single) — Veda "I Breakdown" (Single) — Judge & Jury "Euphoria" (Single) Trevor McNevan (Thousand Foot Krutch) Caleb Hyles The Darkness Before the Dawn Lacey Sturm ; Manafest; Ashes Remain; Adelitas Way; Trevor McNevan (Thousand Foot Krutch); Jonathan Young Silos Apocalips Crazy Town; Orgy; The Haunt; Escape the Fate; From Ashes to New; Boonn 2025 Saliva Revelation: Retold Candlebox; Lauren Babic; Peyton Parrish Dead Rabbitts Redefined Wednesday 13; HIGHSOCIETY; Lauren Babic; Stitched Up Heart Saliva "They Don’t Really Care About Us" (Single) —Bobby Amaru & Veda"Somebody That I Used To Know" (Single) Bobby Amaru & Veda "Just Pretend" (Single) — LYLVC "Barely Human" (Single) — Bobby Amaru & Veda "Somewhere I Belong" (Single) — Silos Apocalypse 2.0 (Remix EP) HIGHSOCIETY; From Ashes to New; The Haunt; Escape the Fate Bobby Amaru & Veda "Somebody’s Watching Me" (Single) — Saliva "Hit ’Em Where It Hurts" (Single) — Saliva "Too Broke to Fix" (Single) The Founder Butcher Babies Insincerity (EP) Saliva; Lyric Noel; Harper; Sleeping In Silence; Alyxx; Shawn O'Donnell; Original Self; Gina Fritz; Kinda Happy; Chad Kowal; neversleep; Erik "Shredz" Jensen; Cage Fight; Ben Jewell Dream Beard "SPRAY" (Single) Sada Baby Fallen Within "Worlds Apart" (Single) SalivaStitched Up Heart"SICK SICK SICK" (Single)Lauren Babic; Eyes Set To KillBobby Amaru & Veda"Last Resort" (Single)—Thrower"Happy When We're Bleeding" (Single)Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate)Alien Ant Farm"Bad Attitude" (Single)—2026Dream Beard"VOID" (Single)Sada BabyStitched Up Heart"GLITCH BITCH" (Single)Conquer DivideAlien Ant Farm"Actitud" (Single)—12 Stones"Golden Child" (Single)—Bobby Amaru & Veda"Running Up That Hill" (Single)—Lyric Noel"Shades of Black" (Single)—Butcher Babies"Lost In Your Touch" (Single)—Alien Ant Farm"Reasons" (Single)—LYLVC"Starless"Bobby Amaru, SalivaStitched Up Heart"CANNIBAL"Butcher Babies12 Stones"World So Cold"Lyric NoelButcher Babies"Black Dove"—Dream Beard"HIGH LIFE"Dropout KingsSaliva"Cope"Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot KrutchEmily Wolfe"Crave Me"—"Lips"Eagles of Death MetalStitched Up Heart"BEAST"Nonpoint"MEET ME AFTER LIFE"NOAPOLOGYButcher Babies"Blame It On The Wind"—Saliva"Sadistic Love"—Caleb Hyles"Not Your Savior (Acoustic)"—Stitched Up Heart"MEDUSA"Austin John Winkler (the Founder), Lauren Babic, Eyes Set To Kill, Conquer Divide, Butcher Babies, NOAPOLOGY, Lyric Noel, Nonpoint, Geena FontanellaHoobastank"How Do You Sleep?"—Saliva"Edge of a Knife"—GORODA"Do Something Wrong"Bobby Amaru of SalivaSaliva"Longshot"Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd SkynyrdLyric Noel"Acid Bloom"Mixi Demner of Stitched Up HeartEmily Wolfe"Power"—Saliva"Breaking Through"Trevor McNevan (Thousand Foot Krutch), Austin John Winkler (the Founder), Johnny Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd)Earshot"Love Left" —Butcher Babies"Leaving California"Alien Ant Farm"Gaslighter"Butcher Babies"NIGHTBLOOM"Dream Beard"HOLLYWOOD TONIC"Nick Nasty, Taylor Barber
References
External links
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