Hopeless Records and Fat Wreck Chords have announced their partnership, uniting two of punk’s most influential independent labels.
The result of a long-standing connection between the two labels, Hopeless will acquire the Fat Wreck Chords catalog.
All unrecouped balances for currently signed Fat Wreck Chords artists will be zeroed out, and Hopeless will adopt a no-new-signings policy for Fat Wreck Chords, ensuring all focus and resources stay on its existing roster.
The connection between Hopeless Records founder Louis Posen and Fat Wreck Chords co-founder Michael John Burkett (Fat Mike) goes back a long way, with Louis directing a video for NOFX’s ‘Bob; back in 1992.
On the partnership, Louis has shared:
“The opportunity to lead the history, catalog, and roster of Fat Wreck Chords into the future, alongside Mike and Erin, is the honor and privilege of my 30-year career. We are incredibly grateful that Mike and Erin have entrusted the Hopeless team to care for their 35 years of passion and hard work.
“I vividly recall purchasing NOFX’s The Longest Line vinyl from Aron’s Records, Hollywood, in 1992. Just a year later, I found myself directing a music video for NOFX, and then directing a video for Lagwagon. I remember sitting at West Beach Studios with Mike, listening to Propagandhi record How to Clean Everything. Now, 30 years later, I am humbled to carry forward that incredible legacy. I don’t know when it will fully sink in, but we are deeply committed to honoring and continuing the remarkable history of Fat Wreck Chords.”
Fat Mike has also added:
“After talking to so many different labels to partner with over the past 3 years, Erin and I realized that Hopeless was the only choice. We’ve been friends with Louis for over 30 years and he is someone who always seems to doing things for the greater good. I completely trust his ethics and acumen with the legacy of Fat Wreck Chords.”
To mark their union, the labels are releasing new music from three cornerstone bands.
This includes the first new album in five years from Bad Cop Bad Cop titled ‘Lighten Up’, the first in a three-part archival series from NOFX, and a 20th anniversary edition of Strung Out’s ‘Exile in Oblivion’.
With all three releases available to pre-order now, take a listen to Bad Cop Bad Cop’s brand-new single ‘All Together Now’ below:
This year, Fat Wreck Chords celebrates its 35th anniversary, whilst last year marked the 30th anniversary of Hopeless Records.
Rock Sound spoke to Louis Posen all about the legacy of the label, and how he’s managed to keep such a firm grip on his initial vision for Hopeless.
On the growth oif the label, he told us:
“The beginning of things was very much like how you build a house. The foundation is only as good as what you put on top of it. Luckily, our foundation is built on do-it-yourself but also built on principles. It’s built on ideas and ideals in which we want to do business as much as we want to live life. While those have somewhat evolved, they have been more about revealing what was already inside over time.”
Content shared from rocksound.tv.