LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Hopeless and Fat Wreck Chords announced plans to join forces, bringing the two prominent punk labels together under unified leadership.
As part of the partnership, Hopeless will acquire Fat Wreck Chords’ catalog and the two labels announced that all unrecouped balances for currently signed FAT artists will be zeroed out.
Additionally, at FAT’s request, Hapless will adopt a no-new-signings policy for Fat Wreck Chords, bringing all available resources in line for its existing roster.
Fat Mike 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.
“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,” said Hopeless Records’ Louis Posen.
“After talking to so many different labels to partner with over the past 3 years, Erin and I realized that Hopeless was the only choice. We’ve been friends with Louis for over 30 years and he is someone who always seems to doing things for the greater good. I completely trust his ethics and acumen with the legacy of Fat Wreck Chords,” added Fat Wreck’s Fat Mike.
“While this is one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever made, it is also one of the most exciting. 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,” noted Erin Kelly Burkett.
To mark the partnership, the two labels are releasing new music from three cornerstone bands: Lighten Up, the first new album in five years from Bad Cop Bad Cop; A to H, the first in a three-part archival series from NOFX featuring unreleased, rare, and demo recordings; and a 20th anniversary edition of Strung Out’s Exile in Oblivion, with a brand-new single, “Glass Houses,” written and recorded in the spirit of the original album.
