Sub Pop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sub Pop |
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We're Not the Best, But We're Pretty Good
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| Parent company | Warner Music Group (49%) |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Bruce Pavitt, Jonathan Poneman |
| Distributor(s) | ADA (US) Outside Music (Canada) Merlin Network (digital) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
Sub Pop is a famous record label that started in 1986. It was founded by two friends, Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop became very well-known in the early 1990s. They signed popular bands from Seattle, like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. These bands were key players in the grunge music movement. Sub Pop is often given credit for helping make grunge music popular around the world.
Today, the label works with many different artists. Some of these include Fleet Foxes, Beach House, The Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney, Flight of the Conchords, Father John Misty, and The Shins. In 1995, the owners of Sub Pop sold a part of their company (49%) to the Warner Music Group.
Contents
The Story of Sub Pop
How Sub Pop Started
The idea for Sub Pop began in the early 1980s. Bruce Pavitt created a fanzine (a fan-made magazine) called Subterranean Pop. This fanzine focused on independent record labels in America. Bruce started this project while he was a student at Evergreen State College.
By the fourth issue, Bruce shortened the name to Sub Pop. He also started including music tapes with the fanzine. These tapes featured underground rock bands. The Sub Pop #5 cassette, released in 1982, sold two thousand copies! In 1983, Bruce moved to Seattle, Washington. There, he released the ninth and final issue of Sub Pop. He also wrote a music column for a local magazine called The Rocket.
In 1986, Bruce Pavitt released the first Sub Pop LP. It was a collection of songs called Sub Pop 100. This record featured artists like Sonic Youth and Wipers. The Seattle band Green River chose to record their Dry as a Bone EP for Sub Pop in 1986. Bruce couldn't release it until the next year. When it finally came out, Sub Pop promoted it as "ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation."
Also in 1987, Jonathan Poneman joined in. He provided $20,000 to help Sub Pop release the first Soundgarden single. This was "Hunted Down"/"Nothing to Say" in July 1987. Then came the band's first EP, Screaming Life, in October. Jonathan soon became a full partner in the label. Bruce focused on finding new artists and music. Jonathan handled the business and legal parts. They both wanted the label to focus on "this primal rock stuff that was coming out."
Creating the "Seattle Sound"
In early 1988, Bruce and Jonathan left their other jobs to work on Sub Pop full-time. They raised $43,000 and officially started the company on April 1, 1988. "Of course that was spent in, like, thirty days," Bruce remembered. "We almost went bankrupt after a month."
That August, Sub Pop released the first single by Mudhoney. This band had members from Green River. Sub Pop released Mudhoney's single "Touch Me I'm Sick" in a small first batch of 800 copies. This was done on purpose to make people want it more. Other independent labels later copied this idea.
Bruce and Jonathan studied other successful independent labels. They realized that most big rock music movements had a local base. They wanted to create a clear identity for Sub Pop. The label's advertisements promoted Sub Pop itself, not just individual bands. They also wanted to market a "Seattle sound." They did this with the help of producer Jack Endino. He produced 75 songs, albums, and EPs for Sub Pop between 1987 and 1989. Jack recorded music quickly and cheaply. He used similar studio methods, which gave the records a consistent sound.
In November 1988, Sub Pop released "Love Buzz." This was the first single by Nirvana, a band from Aberdeen, Washington. It was the first release in the Sub Pop Singles Club. This was a service where people could subscribe and receive new singles from the label every month by mail. At its busiest in 1990, the club had two thousand subscribers.
The Singles Club made Sub Pop very important in the Seattle music scene. It made the label's name almost the same as the music from Seattle. This was similar to how Motown Records was linked to Detroit. The club also helped Sub Pop with its money flow. The original club ended in 1993. A new version, Singles Club V.2, started in 1998 and ended in 2002.
Some people say that Sub Pop shaped the history of Seattle's music scene as part of their marketing. Even in the late 1980s, Seattle bands mixed different styles. They used elements from folk rock, psychedelic rock, garage rock, and pop hooks. The "Seattle sound" that Sub Pop promoted became known as grunge.
Bruce and Jonathan knew it was hard for small labels to get attention in America. So, they looked to British music magazines for help. In March 1989, they flew a journalist from Melody Maker to Seattle. He wrote an article about the local music scene. Just as Bruce expected, the British press loved Sub Pop and the grunge sound. Bruce said, "I really felt that the Brits and the Europeans wanted to see something that was unruly and that was more of an American archetype." Jonathan explained their success: "It could have happened anywhere, but there was a lucky set of coincidences."
By 1991, Sub Pop was having money problems. Some bands, like Mudhoney and Tad, left the label. The release of The Afghan Whigs' album Congregation was delayed. Then, Geffen Records bought Nirvana's contract from Sub Pop for $72,000. They also agreed to pay Sub Pop a percentage of profits from Nirvana's major label album, Nevermind (1991). It was also agreed that future Nirvana albums would show the Sub Pop logo next to Geffen's.
Nevermind became a huge success. This quickly helped Sub Pop with their money problems. Bruce said, "By Christmas [1991], Nevermind had sold 2 million. We went from not being able to pay our phone bill to getting a check for half a million bucks." Sales of Nirvana's earlier album, Bleach, also helped keep the label going for years. Nirvana's success also brought Bruce and Jonathan worldwide attention as the "creators of the grunge scene."
After the death of Kurt Cobain and the decline of grunge, Jonathan started signing different types of artists. In 1995, the label made a $20 million deal with Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros. bought 49% of Sub Pop's shares.
Sub Pop After Bruce Pavitt
Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt disagreed about the future of the label. Jonathan wanted the label to grow bigger and make more money. In 1996, Bruce left Sub Pop. He found it hard to deal with the new corporate culture after the Warner partnership. He wanted to spend more time with his family. The split between Bruce and Jonathan was not friendly, and they didn't speak for seven years.
Sub Pop opened offices around the world and invested a lot in new artists. However, they didn't have huge commercial success. This led them to scale back and return to Seattle.
In 2006, Sub Pop Records became the first record label to be certified "Green-e." This means they showed their commitment to the environment. They bought enough renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of the electricity they use in their office. This showed they wanted to help fight global warming.
In early 2007, Sub Pop started a sister label called Hardly Art. This label is also partly owned by Warner Music. In August 2008, Sub Pop brought back the singles club for one year to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.
In 2009, they signed their second hip-hop group, Shabazz Palaces from Seattle. Ishmael Butler, one half of Shabazz Palaces, later became an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) person for Sub Pop. This means he helps find and sign new artists.
Commercial Achievements
Sub Pop has released several very successful albums.
- Three albums have sold over 1 million copies in the US, earning "platinum" status from the Recording Industry Association of America:
- Bleach by Nirvana
- Give Up by The Postal Service
- Oh, Inverted World by The Shins
- Ten albums have sold over 500,000 copies, earning "gold" status:
- Chutes Too Narrow and Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
- Fleet Foxes and Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
- The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart
- Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
- Our Endless Numbered Days and The Shepherd's Dog by Iron & Wine
- Depression Cherry by Beach House
Special Deluxe Editions
Starting in 2008, Sub Pop began releasing "Deluxe Editions" of its best-selling albums. These special versions include a remastered (improved sound) version of the album. They also often have live songs and demo recordings. Some albums released as Deluxe Editions include:
- Nirvana’s Bleach
- Mudhoney's Superfuzz Bigmuff
- The Postal Service's Give Up
See also
In Spanish: Sub Pop para niños
- List of Sub Pop artists
- Lists of record labels
