Sub Pop Records founder Bruce Pavitt recently featured on Cobras & Fire Podcast where he delved into the rise of grunge.
Sub Pop Records was founded in 1986 in Seattle, WA. The label carved out its niche in the market by signing legendary acts Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney.
“It was a small town, a small scene; bands would just go out and support each other, and every week you’d just go out to see another band,” Pavitt explained of the genesis of Sub Pop. “I was reviewing records, I had radio shows, I was playing the stuff, so I was kind of a superfan.
“It was just a fun, exciting community of people who were very supportive, and that’s what made it cool.”
Pavitt then delved into Nirvana’s debut record Bleach, and the unconventional way the band, who were skint at the time, were able to fund it.
“Well, it is a ridiculous story. The soon-to-be world’s biggest band, which we did not fully realize at the time, they’re like, ‘We got to get them a studio,'” he begins.
“And Kurt [Cobain] calls me up, ‘We’re tired of waiting,’ and I said, ‘I’ll be honest with you. We don’t have any cash.’ And I said, ‘Do you think you can front the money for the recording?’
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“In other words, ‘Can you loan me the money so I can give it back to you?’ And he basically hung up on me. But they did go in the studio, and it was financed by [early Nirvana guitarist and Soundgarden bassist] Jason Everman, who didn’t actually play on the recording.
“I think what happened is they went in, the bill was owed, and Jason Everman wound up paying it, even though he wasn’t on the recording. But those $608 recording translated into two million sales,” he explained.
“If you create something that’s really cool, you don’t have to spend a lot of money.”
Check out Bruce Pavitt of Sub Pop Records on Cobras & Fire Podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/cobrasfire/interview-bruce-pavitt-sub-pop-records-founder
