Ugly Pop Records 1998 - 2005 RIP
I guess this has been decided for a couple of weeks now, but just to make it official, Ugly Pop is (nearly) over. After 17 releases, nearly 30 000 records sold and more hassle, debt, strained friendships, broken deadlines, messy desktops, computer screen-induced headaches, coloured vinyl mishaps, reversed labels, unsold trade records, missing packages, angry Swedes, happy bands, impatient bands, confusing Japanese emails, insane UPS brokerage charges, defective graphics jobs, overdue cheques and hours spent sitting on the floor folding lyric sheets than you could shake a rejected test pressing at, we're throwing in the proverbial towel.
It's not quite over yet, of course. The remaining titles are almost all sold out, so we're repressing everything that still sells in order to meet demand and make back some of that debt (Warhead LP came out today, Raw Power LP repress later this month, Rajoitus, CCSS and HKB EPs sooner rather than later), and we have two more records by active bands to release, specifically a killer 12" from UNDER PRESSURE (aka Winnipeg's answer to mid-period Poison Idea) and a 45 from Vancouver's own power-pop/punk rock sensations THE TRANSMITORS. These will be be distributed and promo'd as effectively as all our previous releases, and we believe in and enjoy these bands and their new records as much as ever, so make sure to check them out. We also have a couple of scheduled releases by bands that are no longer active, and I'm not sure at this point what will be happening with them. Bands, we'll let you know as soon as we know what we're going to be able to do. I'd like to think these releases will still happen, but I can't guarantee anything at this point.
Otherwise, thanks to everyone for all your help and support over the last seven years of trying to run an ethical, consistent hardcore punk label in Canada. We always tried to put our idea of what was good ahead of simply what would sell, and to avoid using DIY as an excuse to put out shoddy records, and I know that some appreciated that. For all my sarcasm, running the label was often deeply satisfying and we put out some records that I'll always be proud of. I love vinyl, I love the bands we worked with, I love hardcore punk rock'n'roll and I don't regret any of it.
It's not quite over yet, of course. The remaining titles are almost all sold out, so we're repressing everything that still sells in order to meet demand and make back some of that debt (Warhead LP came out today, Raw Power LP repress later this month, Rajoitus, CCSS and HKB EPs sooner rather than later), and we have two more records by active bands to release, specifically a killer 12" from UNDER PRESSURE (aka Winnipeg's answer to mid-period Poison Idea) and a 45 from Vancouver's own power-pop/punk rock sensations THE TRANSMITORS. These will be be distributed and promo'd as effectively as all our previous releases, and we believe in and enjoy these bands and their new records as much as ever, so make sure to check them out. We also have a couple of scheduled releases by bands that are no longer active, and I'm not sure at this point what will be happening with them. Bands, we'll let you know as soon as we know what we're going to be able to do. I'd like to think these releases will still happen, but I can't guarantee anything at this point.
Otherwise, thanks to everyone for all your help and support over the last seven years of trying to run an ethical, consistent hardcore punk label in Canada. We always tried to put our idea of what was good ahead of simply what would sell, and to avoid using DIY as an excuse to put out shoddy records, and I know that some appreciated that. For all my sarcasm, running the label was often deeply satisfying and we put out some records that I'll always be proud of. I love vinyl, I love the bands we worked with, I love hardcore punk rock'n'roll and I don't regret any of it.