Photo Finish Records is an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

founded in 2006 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

by Matt Galle, listed as one of

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

’s “40 Under 40” in 2013 and 2015 as well as named a 2020 Billboard Indie Power Player and cited twice on Billboard’s Power List. The label was first distributed by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, then

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

Virgin Music Label & Artist Services Virgin Music Label & Artist Services is a music distributor of independent artists and record labels, owned by Universal Music Group. The subsidiary focuses on the distribution of new or emerging partners. Started by Virgin Records as Carolin ...

is its current distributor.

History

Atlantic Records (2006–12)

In 2006, Photo Finish and Matt Galle signed a joint venture deal with

. Their first release was the debut self-titled five-song EP from the New-York-based post-hardcore band Envy on the Coast, followed by the debut EP and studio album from Washington-based rock band

Danger Radio Danger Radio (sometimes stylized as Danger: Radio) was an American rock band from Edmonds, Washington. Career 2003–07: ''The Difference Between Love and Envy '' Danger Radio's lead vocalist ( Andrew de Torres of The Scene Aesthetic) and dru ...

. The label garnered major success with the debut album from the Colorado-based duo

3OH!3 3OH!3 (pronounced "three oh three") is an American electronic music duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "DONTTRUSTME" from their album ''Want'', which reached number sev ...

, ''

WANT The idea of want can be examined from many perspectives. In secular societies want might be considered similar to the emotion desire, which can be studied scientifically through the disciplines of psychology or sociology. Want might also be exami ...

'', which peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, while their song "

Don't Trust Me "Don't Trust Me" (sometimes written as "DONTTRUSTME"), is a song by the band 3OH!3. It was released as the lead single from their second album ''Want'' on June 1, 2008. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Ameri ...

" went to #1 on the Top 40 Charts, eventually selling over 3 million digital copies. In August 2008, Photo Finish released the debut album by Anthony Green, ''

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

'', which debuted at number 44 on the Billboard charts, the label's most successful first-week performance for a release. In 2010, the Virginia-based band

The Downtown Fiction The Downtown Fiction was an American rock band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band consisted of guitarist and lead vocalist Cameron Leahy, bassist and backing vocalist David Pavluk, guitarist and backing vocalist Wes Dimond, and drummer Kyle Rodger ...

’s song ''I Just Wanna Run'' played on the season premiere of

The Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

; the track ultimately went Gold.

Universal Music Group (2012–15)

In 2012, Galle brought the label to

Island Def Jam The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordi ...

and

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

, distributed by Universal Music Group. In October of that year, Photo Finish released the EP ''Love’s Not Dead'' by

The Mowgli's The Mowgli's were an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Background and formation Di Panni, Appelbaum, Trent, and Warren were all friends from Calabasas High School. They were joined by Earl, a childhood friend of some o ...

. The accompanying single “San Francisco” became

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

’ Single of the Week, peaking at #12 on the Alternative Music Chart and #3 on the AAA Radio Chart. Subsequent releases included their debut album ''Waiting for the Dawn'' in 2013 and the follow up ''Kids in Love'' in 2014. 2014 also saw the release of ''Reflections'', the debut EP of the New-York-City based band MisterWives, the

title song A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of which became iTunes’ Single of the Week in January and peaked at #13 on the Billboard

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

chart, ultimately going Gold in the U.S. and selling 2 million (equivalents), followed by the band’s debut album

Our Own House ''Our Own House'' is the debut studio album by American indie pop band MisterWives, released on February 24, 2015 through Photo Finish Records. As of July 2015, it has reached No. 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Four songs from the album, " Refle ...

in 2015. That year, MisterWives was chosen as an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

“Artist to Watch.” After being chosen for an

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. The most recent model, AirPods (3rd generation ...

commercial, the song “ Down” by

Marian Hill Marian Hill is an American electronic duo from Philadelphia consisting of record producer Jeremy Lloyd and singer Samantha Gongol. The duo released their debut EP, ''Play'', in 2014, and released their second EP, ''Sway'', in 2015. The duo relea ...

went Platinum and sold nearly six million track equivalents worldwide, reaching #10 on the Top 40, #13 at Rhythmic, #15 at Alternative, and #17 on Hot AC Radio, while at the same time becoming the most- Shazam’d song in the U.S., according to

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

magazine.

Caroline Distribution/Virgin Music Label & Artist Services (2016–)

In 2016, Photo Finish made a distribution deal with

Caroline Distribution Virgin Music Label & Artist Services is a music distributor of independent artists and record labels, owned by Universal Music Group. The subsidiary focuses on the distribution of new or emerging partners. Started by Virgin Records as Carolin ...

, establishing the label as an independent entity to work with artists including

SHAED Shaed (stylized SHAED, pronounced "shade") is an American indie pop trio based in Washington, D.C. The group consists of lead vocalist Chelsea Lee and multi-instrumentalists Max and Spencer Ernst. They released their breakthrough single "Trampolin ...

, ROZES, guardin, Joan, Handsome Ghost, and Lakeview. In September 2016, Photo Finish released ''Just Wanna See'', the debut EP by SHAED, whose single "Name On It" was the featured track for a

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

commercial. SHAED’s single "

Trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled spring (device), springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. ...

", from their follow-up EP ''Melt'', was featured in a

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of ultrabook computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and, in the more modern versions, a thin light structure. The Air was originally positioned ...

commercial in October, 2018, and was the #1 song on Alternative Radio for the entire year of 2019, garnering over 3 billion in US radio audience and over 7 million worldwide sales (equivalents). The song reached number one on the US ''

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and went double platinum in the United States, Canada, and India. In 2017, Photo Finish released the debut EP by ROZES. ROZES’s song "Halfway There" was the official anthem to the 2019 Women's March on NYC via The Women's March Alliance.

Artists

Current artists

* Handsome Ghost *

* Rozes * Culpriit * Mckenna Grace * guardin * 93feetofsmoke * Elliot Lee * Lakeview * joan *

* The Maine * MisterWives

Former artists

* Brick + Mortar *

Clinton Sparks Clinton Charls Sparks (born September 18, 1975) is an American Disc jockey, DJ, record producer, songwriter and singer from Boston, Massachusetts. He initially started his career as a rapper, dancer, producer, and DJ who gained notoriety by maki ...

* Envy on the Coast * Fighting with Wire * Hit the Lights *

I Fight Dragons I Fight Dragons is an American chiptune-based Rock music, rock band from Chicago. Their music is a combination of rock with chiptune, featuring electronic sounds made using Nintendo Game Boys and Nintendo Entertainment Systems, a genre also known ...

New Medicine New Medicine (formerly A Verse Unsung) is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2009. History New Medicine was originally formed as A Verse Unsung by two friends, Jake Scherer and Dan Garland, who were attending Orono Hig ...

* Paper Rival *

Rival Schools ''Rival Schools: United by Fate'', known in Japan as is a fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as an arcade game in 1997 and ported to the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1998. On February 23, 2012, Capcom released ''Unit ...

The Strypes The Strypes were a four-piece rock band from Cavan, Ireland, formed in 2010 consisting of Ross Farrelly (lead vocals/harmonica), Josh McClorey (lead guitar/vocals), Peter O'Hanlon (bass guitar/harmonica) and Evan Walsh (drums). The band played ...

Discography

Studio albums / EP's

2021 '' PAW Patrol: The Movie (Music from The Motion Picture)'' * Artist: Various Artists * Released: August 1, 2021 * Genre:

Pop-Punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

Alternative Rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

, Pop,

Post-Grunge Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...

Emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

Indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

2018 ''MELT'' EP * Artist: SHAED * Released: September 21, 2018 * Genre:

2018 ''I Don't Know Where I'm Going, But I'm On My Way'' EP * Artist: ROZES * Released: August 24, 2018 * Genre: POP 2018 ''AUTOP$Y'' EP * Artist: L.I.F.T * Released: June 8, 2018 * Genre:

Alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

2018 ''Welcome Back '' * Artist: Handsome Ghost * Released: February 9, 2018 * Genre:

2017 ''Connect The Dots'' * Artist: MISTERWIVES * Released: Spring 2017 * Genre: Alternative 2016 ''The Brilliant Glow'' * Artist: Handsome Ghost * Released: Fall 2016 * Genre: Alternative 2016 ''Where'd Your Weekend Go?'' * Artist: The Mowgli's * Released: Fall 2016 * Genre: Alternative 2016 ''Just Wanna See EP'' * Artist: SHAED * Released: Fall 2016 * Genre: Alternative 2015 ''Kids in Love'' * Artist: The Mowgli's * Released: Spring 2015 * Genre: Alternative 2015 ''

'' * Artist: MisterWives * Released: Spring 2015 * Genre: Alternative 2013 ''

Snapshot Snapshot, snapshots or snap shot may refer to: * Snapshot (photography), a photograph taken without preparation Computing * Snapshot (computer storage), the state of a system at a particular point in time * Snapshot (file format) or SNP, a file ...

'' * Artist: The Strypes * Released: Sept 9, 2013 * Genre: Alternative 2013 '' Waiting for The Dawn'' * Artist: The Mowgli's * Released: Winter 2013 * Genre: Alternative 2013 ''Omens'' * Artist: 3OH!3 * Released: June 18, 2013 * Genre: Alternative 2012 '' Beautiful Things'' * Artist: Anthony Green * Released: January 13, 2012 * Genre: Alternative 2011 ''Let's Be Animals'' * Artist: The Downtown Fiction * Released: Spring 2011 * Genre:

Pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control American independent record labels Record labels established in 2006