Vagrant Records

Template:Short description Template:Infobox record label Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California.<ref name="sacher">Template:Cite web</ref> 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. The label is considered one of the pre-eminent labels of the emo music scene.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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

History

Template:More citations needed section The first band signed by Vagrant Records was Boxer and their album The Hurt Process was 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.<ref>Alternative Press Issue 204 "Say Goodnight, Mean Goodbye: The Oral History of The Get Up Kids"</ref> The album was successful, and single-handedly made Vagrant Records one of the top independent labels in the country.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name="Post">Template:Citation</ref>

Rapid growth

They signed Los Angeles punk rock trio Automatic 7 and released the band's second 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2002, the label made a distribution deal with Festival Mushroom Records, who would handled Vagrant's releases in Australia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vagrant would later enter into a deal with Interscope Records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2002, the label signed a deal with Motor Music, which handled distribution and promotion for Vagrant's releases in Germany.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Rich Egan is cited as saying that 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Genre diversification

They soon signed Eels and released their album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations in 2005. That year, 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 If You Ever See an Owl, the debut album by the Terrible Twos, a side-project of Vagrant artist the New Amsterdams.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On August 5, 2009, Rammstein, the Berlin-based industrial metal sextet, signed a US marketing and distribution deal with Vagrant Records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>