415 Records

infobox record label


parent = Sony BMG
founded = 1978
distributor = Columbia
genre = New Wave, Post-punk, Alternative
country = U.S.
url =

415 Records was the first North American record label devoted to new wave music (Stiff Records in England was the first new wave label in the world). 415 was founded in San Francisco in 1978 by writer and promoter Howie Klein, Aquarius Records (San Francisco) store owner Chris Knab, and music retailer/collector Butch Bridges. In 1979, Butch Bridges sold his interest in the label to Queenie Taylor, a long time employee of the legendary management and promotion agency, Bill Graham Presents. In the late 1970s, San Francisco was one of the leading centers for what was then called New Wave music and what would now be called "alternative" music. (Some critics have said that new wave was a melodic reaction to punk). The label primarily featured punk and new wave music from San Francisco bands although as the label grew they signed bands from other cities as well. The label name 415 is a reference both to the telephone area code for the San Francisco area, and to the police code for "disturbing the peace."

From its inception, 415 benefitted from the support of Bill Graham, and manager/producer David Rubinson, who owned one of the top recording studios in the world, The Automatt. Rubinson was a great believer in 415's future, and allowed 415 bands to record in his studios at a greatly reduced rate and sometimes on "spec" ("speculation," meaning that the studio would share in the profits of the sales). Graham helped 415 artists to gain wider exposure by booking them as opening acts for major headlining bands such as U2, Duran Duran and Journey.

The first records released by the label included an EPs by The NUNS and The Mutants, a single by Pearl Harbor and the Explosions ("Drivin' ") and albums by New Math, The Units, and Romeo Void. Following the success of Romeo Void's first LP "It's a Condition" in 1981, 415 Records affiliated with Columbia Records and signed a contract to work with the major label that would be the prototype for dozens of similar independent label/major label associations over the next two decades. The deal gave Columbia the "right of first refusal" to co-brand, manufacture, promote and produce 415 artists, while allowing 415 to retain (nearly) full artistic control over signings, artwork, recording and song selection. Under this partnership, Columbia/415 released critically acclaimed albums by Romeo Void, Translator, Wire Train, Until December and the Red Rockers. Albums by The Uptones, Monkey Rhythm, and the Pop-O-Pies were released on 415 independently of Columbia.

David Kahne served as the label's in-house producer and engineer until 1982 when he took a job as Vice President of A&R for Columbia Records in Los Angeles; he continued to produce records for 415 artists, as well as records by The Bangles, Bruce Springsteen and Tony Bennett, and became one of the industry's most respected producers. In 1997, Kahne moved from Columbia to become Vice President of A&R for Warner Bros. Records. Daniel Levitin, a well-known Bay Area musician and producer, became the label's Director of A&R in 1984, serving as a staff engineer and in-house producer responsible for developing new artists. Three new bands under Levitin's supervision, The Stir-Ups, The Big Race, and The Scene were in the studio and ready to record albums when 415 and Columbia ended their relationship in 1989. Three additional Levitin-produced bands, The Furies, Rhythm Riot and The Afflicted (the latter named one of the Top 10 recordings for the year 1985 in GQ magazine), were given to another San Francisco independent label, Infrasonic Records, and all three releases received very high critical marks. In 1989, Howie Klein was named General Manager and in 1995 President of Reprise and Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. Records, a position he held until his retirement 2001. During that time, Klein oversaw the careers of Talking Heads, Madonna, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, The Barenaked Ladies, and many other top artists.

In the beginning, 415 was hindered by the same factors that affect most independent labels - difficulty reaching a national audience. The 1982 Columbia affiliation changed the situation dramatically. Columbia used their marketing knowledge and established relationships with radio, television, and retailers, to bring 415 records to a much wider audience. Romeo Void has been singled out by critics and musicians as one of the seminal groups of the New Wave movement. Klein has quipped, referring to some of the less successful ventures, "Before the Columbia deal, we made records that cost $5,000 and sold 50,000 copies. After the Columbia deal, we made records that cost $50,000 and sold 5,000 copies."

Romeo Void's lead singer Debora Iyall released a solo record on Columbia and is currently recording a new project. Wire Train were signed to MCA Records where they released three CDs. After having a song featured in the soundtrack of the film "Repo Man," The Big Race changed their name to Pray For Rain and contributed soundtrack music to the film "Sid and Nancy." Former guitarist for Pearl Harbor, Peter Bilt, pursued a solo career, and fronted the band "Free Will" for the award-winning Levitin-produced soundtrack to the film "Architects of Victory", awarded Best Production for a short film at the Venice, Italy film festival.

After Klein left 415, Levitin helped Klein run the label for 3 months until Sandy Pearlman (producer and manager of Blue Öyster Cult and Black Sabbath) bought the label. Pearlman changed the name to Popular Metaphysics, and released one record by the group World Entertainment War in association with MCA Records. (Al Teller, who had been president of Columbia Records when the 415/Columbia alignment was forged, was president of MCA in 1989 making MCA a logical choice for a new alliance). In 1985 Christopher Knab sold out his interest in the label and moved to Seattle, Washington to manage the University of Washington alternative radiostation KCMU, now KEXP 90.3 fm, while also teaching music business classes for the Audio and Music Business programs at the Art Institute of Seattle. Today, Knab is a music business consultant with his company FourFront Media and Music. Queenie Taylor moved into managing SF nightclub Wolfgangs in the early 80s, and Slims (owned by Boz Scaggs) in the early 90s. David Kahne is currently Vice President of A&R at Warner Bros. Records. Levitin worked as an A&R representative for Columbia, RCA, Warner Bros., Miramax and other companies before returning to college, and he is currently a professor of psychology, neuroscience, education, and music at McGill University in Montreal. Klein is active in politics, writes a blog downwithtyranny.com, and is working on a novel.

415 Records that are currently in print or readily available include:
Red Rockers: Good As Gold/Schizophrenic Circus
Romeo Void: Warm, in Your Coat
Translator: Everywhere That We Were: The Best of Translator
Wire Train: In a Chamber Wire Train: Last Perfect Thing: A Retrospective
The Best of 415 Records cite web
url=http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wpfixqu5ldde
title=A Brief History of 415 Records
accessdate=2008-05-17]

ee also

* List of record labels

References