Sub Pop, a Seattle-based record label, first became known as the company that introduced the world to the Grunge genre in the late 1980s, particularly by releasing the earliest recordings from Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. Since then, Sub Pop has continued to sign Alternative Rock bands, but has also diversified into other genres, including Hip-Hop and Recorded and Stand-Up Comedy. The label has also released a multi-disc album of original songs from Bob's Burgers.
The label is also known for the snarky, often self-deprecating sense of humor demonstrated in its advertising and publicity materials. When Sub Pop had financial problems in the early 1990s (before Nirvana's huge success bailed it out), it distributed a Fun T-Shirt reading "What part of WE HAVE NO MONEY don't you understand?" Its form letter to rejected bands starts "Dear Loser", and notes that "your demo package... is on it's [sic] way through the great lower intestine that is the talent-acquisition process".
Although Sub Pop is known as an Indie Rock label, Warner Music Group owns a 49% stake in the company.
Sub Pop performers, past and present, with TV Tropes pages:
- The Afghan Whigs
- Beach House
- Beat Happening
- Jon Benjamin
- Weyes Blood
- Bob's Burgers soundtrack albums
- Built to Spill
- clipping.
- David Cross
- Earth
- Fastbacks
- Father John Misty
- Fleet Foxes
- Flight of the Conchords
- Foals
- Hazel
- Hot Hot Heat
- Iron and Wine
- The Jesus and Mary Chain
- L7
- Low
- Mudhoney
- Nirvana
- Patton Oswalt
- Orville Peck
- The Postal Service
- Red House Painters
- The Reverend Horton Heat
- Saint Etienne
- The Shins
- Sarah Silverman
- Sleater-Kinney
- Soundgarden
- Sunny Day Real Estate
- Ugly Casanova
- Suki Waterhouse