Lookout Records
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Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California.
| Lookout Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Larry Livermore David Hayes |
| Distributor(s) | Lookout! Records (In the US) |
| Genre | Predominantly Punk, Pop Punk and Hardcore |
| Country of origin | US |
| Official website | http://lookoutrecords.com/ |
History
Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. Hayes left in 1989 to start Very Small Records, leaving Lookout! to Livermore, who sold the label in 1997 to former mailroom assistant Chris Appelgren. From the start, Lookout! has put out punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop punk, hardcore punk, and indie rock. Former Lookout! bands that have since achieved major label success include Green Day and The Donnas.
Lookout! became famous for crafting a very specific sound in the pop punk genre that became a very appealing home to many bands in the mid 90s. Many bands would delay release of albums, trying to court a contract from Lookout! including Furious George and the Beatnik Termites. The Lookout! brand could sell virtually any album in its heyday. Chris Applegren's management slowly changed the label away from this brand, giving it a new face and began signing indie rock bands, slowly alienating much of the previous fanbase.
In recent years, many of the key creators of Lookout!'s back catalog have rescinded their master rights from the label, citing breach of contract over unpaid royalties. Among the bands that have taken their masters from Lookout! and reissued them on other labels are Screeching Weasel (on Asian Man), Avail (on Jade Tree), Pansy Division (on Alternative Tentacles), Blatz and Filth (on Life Is Abuse Records), The Dollyrots on Blackheart Records, The Riverdales (on Asian Man), The Queers (on Asian Man), The Lillingtons (on Red Scare Records), Enemy You (also on Red Scare), and The Groovie Ghoulies (on Springman Records). On August 1, 2005, Green Day became the biggest former Lookout! act to rescind their masters from the label, forcing Lookout! to lay off two-thirds of its staff and halt new releases for the remainder of the year. [1] Operation Ivy rescinded their masters on May 4, 2006 and their albums will be reissued on Hellcat Records in November 2007. [2]
List of artists
Former artists
See also
External links
- The official Lookout site
- Lookout! Records publishing catalog at MusicBrainz
- Kerplunk: The rise and fall of the Lookout Records empire East Bay Express, September 14, 2005; retrieved on March 2, 2008