Hopeless Records Acquires Fat Wreck Chords Catalog

Legendary punk rock labels Hopeless Records and Fat Wreck Chords have announced an alliance in which Hopeless will acquire the rights to Fat Wreck Chords’ catalog.

The details:

• As part of the deal, all unrecouped balances for currently signed Fat Wreck artists will be zeroed out.

• “No strings, no fine print,” says the statement. “Just a clean slate for every signed band that’s helped shape the label.”

• At Fat Wreck’s request, Hopeless will adopt a no-new-signings policy for Fat Wreck Chords, ensuring all focus and resources stay on its existing roster.

• Fat Wreck Chords co-founders Fat Mike (AKA Mike Burkett) and Erin Kelly-Burkett will retain the name, Fat Wreck Chords logo and trademark, continuing to represent the label through festivals and pop-up shops.

Background:

• Fat Wreck Chords was founded in San Francisco in 1990 by NOFX bassist-vocalist Fat Mike and then-wife Erin Kelly-Burkett.

• It became one of the world’s leading independent punk rock labels, releasing music by artists such as NOFX, Rise Against, Against Me!, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Face To Face and more.

• Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen, who a year earlier had directed a video for NOFX’s song “Bob.”

• When Posen began to lose his eyesight he shifted to a career in music, and was welcomed into the Fat Wreck Chords office where Fat Mike and Kelly-Burkett helped teach him the ropes of running an independent label.

• Hopeless has released music by artists such as Avenged Sevenfold, All Time Low, The Used, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday and more.

Next steps:

• The labels will release new music by Bad Cop Bad Cop, as well as an archival NOFX series, and a 20th anniversary edition of Strung Out’s Exile in Oblivion.

What they said:

• Erin Kelly-Burkett: “FAT has been my baby for 35 years. To me, it’s more than a label; it’s a community, a home, and a legacy built from the ground up. Louis understands that, and I can't think of anyone better than Hopeless to carry FAT forward. As a true fan, Louis knows firsthand what FAT is all about, and will build on the foundation Mike and I laid with care and respect. These bands are my family, and I know they’re in good hands with the Hopeless family.”

• Louis Posen: “The opportunity to lead the history, catalog, and roster of Fat Wreck Chords into the future, alongside Mike and Erin, is the honor and privilege of my 30-year career. We are incredibly grateful that Mike and Erin have entrusted the Hopeless team to care for their 35 years of passion and hard work.”