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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

News Sub Pop Turns 20!

Posted by Rob Simonsen on Tue, Jan 29 at 10:32 AM

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Everybody’s favorite record label to the north, Sub Pop, has its twentieth birthday this year. Congratulations guys, you’re almost old enough to legally start drinking!

The Seattle Times recently did a nice little profile on the label in honor of their birthday. One thing, specifically, stuck out from the article. Take a look at the list of their top ten sellers of all time:


1. Nirvana, “Bleach” (1989), 1.6 million

2. Postal Service, “Give Up” (2003), 902,885

3. The Shins, “Oh Inverted World” (2001), 547,274

4. The Shins, “Wincing The Night Away” (2007), 500,813

5. The Shins, “Chutes Too Narrow” (2003), 462,574

6. Hot Hot Heat, “Make Up The Breakdown” (2002), 282,141

7. Sunny Day Real Estate, “Diary” (1994), 226,388

8. Iron & Wine, “Our Endless Numbered Days” (2004), 220,157

9. Iron & Wine, “The Creek Drank The Cradle” (2002), 133,752

10. Iron & Wine, “The Shepherd’s Dog” (2007), 133,490

That’s one album from the ’80s, one from the ’90s, and eight from the ’00s. Isn’t the music industry supposed to be, like, dying or something? Considering the label has always been synonymous with the early nineties northwest scene, it’s a little remarkable to see that, because of The Shins, Iron & Wine, and The Postal Service, the ’00s have actually been their strongest decade to date. Zach Braff better be getting a nice fruit basket for Christmas.

Comments

Wow, me and Idolator were on the same wavelength today. I swear I didn't see this before I made my post. Besides, Zach Braff jokes are so '05 anyways...

There were a few years in the late 90s when Sub Pop was putting out pretty margnial stuff, like Nebula. Boorrrrring. Not that the Shins or Iron & Wine are capable of much better, but at least they're selling. Before Sub Pop's litte renaissance I figured they'd soon fade away into small-time obscurity. Anyway, I give most of the credit to the ad agencies that have scooped up Shins and Postal Service songs for the likes of McDonalds, UPS and whatever other corporate interests come a-callin'. "Sub Pop, america's best-loved lifestyle music for that hip twentysomething market!"

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