Rich Egan

Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home to artists such as The 1975, Death Spells, Eels, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, CRUISR, Active Child, PJ Harvey, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, James Vincent McMorrow, Black Joe Lewis, Wake Owl, Blitzen Trapper, and Bombay Bicycle Club. Originally, Vagrant Records was mostly focused on emo bands such as Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, The Get Up Kids, Senses Fail, and Alkaline Trio. The label is considered one of the pre-eminent labels of the emo music scene.

In 2014, Vagrant was acquired by BMG Rights Management. Co-founder Jon Cohen then became BMG's executive vice president of recorded music, until he left the company in September 2017. It remains to be distributed autonomously (outside of BMG's main distribution partner Warner Music Group), by affiliated labels in selected countries.

History

The first band signed by Vagrant Records was Boxer and their album, ''The Hurt Process'', released on May 5, 1998. The pop-punk album notably featured drummer Chris Pennie, who would go on to play with Dillinger Escape Plan and Coheed and Cambria.

The Get Up Kids

In 1999, Vagrant Records signed Kansas City, Missouri, band, The Get Up Kids, and the band's Vagrant debut, ''Something to Write Home About'', was released in September 1999. Egan and Cohen borrowed $50,000 from Cohen's parents to fund the recording of the Get Up Kids album, derived from the mortgaging of the family house. The album was wildly successful, and single-handedly made Vagrant Records one of the top independent labels in the country.

Rapid growth

They signed Los Angeles punk rock trio Automatic 7 and released the band's 2nd album ''Begger's Life'' on July 25, 2000. They followed this by signing and releasing albums from heavyweights in the emo scene like Alkaline Trio, Saves the Day, and Dashboard Confessional. In June 2001, the label signed a distribution deal with JCOR Records, which in turn was distributed by Universal Records. It allowed Vagrant's releases to be available in stores via Universal's distribution methods. In March 2002, the label made a distribution deal with Festival Mushroom Records, who would handled Vagrant's releases in Australia. Vagrant would later enter into a deal with Interscope Records. In June 2002, the label signed a deal with Motor Music, which handled distribution and promotion for Vagrant's releases in Germany. Dashboard Confessional's video for ''Screaming Infidelities'', directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry, earned Vagrant the MTV2 award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. Rich Egan is cited as saying the MTV Video Music Award win "changed everything" for the label.

Paul Westerberg

The label then went on to release solo material from The Replacements frontman, Paul Westerberg, signifying an initial departure from its roots of nineties punk and emo.

Genre diversification

They soon signed Eels and released their album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. In 2005, the label acquired New York City indie label Startime International, with whom they co-released albums from The French Kicks and The Futureheads. During that time, Vagrant signed The Hold Steady and The Lemonheads.

Poquito Records

In 2006, Vagrant formed a children's label imprint, Poquito Records, and released Vagrant artist The New Amsterdams' side-project The Terrible Twos' debut album ''If You Ever See an Owl''.

Density Records

In April 2007, Vagrant formed another imprint label, Density Records, which will release heavier material than has traditionally been released on the label.

On August 5, 2009, Rammstein, the Berlin-based industrial metal sextet, well known for its controversial and fiery live performances, signed a US marketing and distribution deal with Vagrant Records.

Current bands

*Active Child
* Albert Hammond, Jr.
*Alexander
*Balance and Composure
*Band of Skulls
*Benjamin Francis Leftwich
*Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
*Blitzen Trapper
*Bombay Bicycle Club (US)
*Brooke Fraser
* California Wives
*City and Colour
*CRUISR
*Death Spells
*Dustin Kensrue
*Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
*Eels
*The Elected
*French Kicks
*The Grates
*The Hold Steady

* J Roddy Walston and the Business
*Justin Townes Earle
* LP
*Mayer Hawthorne
*Missy Higgins
*MonstrO
* The Night Marchers
*Pete Yorn
*PJ Harvey
*Placebo
*Reptar
*Rogue Wave
*School of Seven Bells
*Sublime with Rome (Europe)
*Wake Owl
*The 1975

Former bands

*Ace Enders and a Million Different People
*Alkaline Trio
*Alexisonfire
*The Anniversary
*The Appleseed Cast
*The A-Sides
*Audio Learning Center
*Automatic 7
*Bad Suns
*Biology
*The Bled
*Boxer
*The Comas
*A Cursive Memory
*Dashboard Confessional
* Dr Manhattan
*Down to Earth Approach
* Emanuel
* Face to Face
*FACT
* Far
*From Autumn To Ashes
*The Futureheads
*The Get Up Kids
*Hey Mercedes
*The Hippos
*The Hold Steady
*Horse the Band
*Hot Rod Circuit
*The (International) Noise Conspiracy
* John Ralston
* Koufax
*The Lemonheads
* Matt Pryor
*Moneen
*Murder by Death
*The New Amsterdams
* The Night Marchers
*No Motiv
*Olivia Broadfield
* Protest the Hero
*Paul Westerberg
*Reggie and the Full Effect
* Rocket From The Crypt
*Saves the Day
*Senses Fail
*So Many Dynamos
*Stars (except Canada)
*Thrice
*Two Tongues
* Viva Death
*Warship

See also

*List of record labels

References

External links

Vagrant Records

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American record labels
Record labels established in 1996
Alternative rock record labels
Punk record labels