R.I.P. Lookout Records (1987-2012)

It seems that after 24 years Lookout Records has officially called it quits. The news of Lookout‘s demise come from a blog post that Ted Leo posted in regards to his back catalog longer being available online digitally. Lookout Records was known for putting out Green Day‘s early releases as well as releases by Screeching Weasel, Operation Ivy and several others. For several years Lookout has faced financial trouble after losing the rights to several releases, most notably the early Green Day catalog.

Official Website: http://www.lookoutrecords.com

Artists with releases on this label:
Common Rider, The Queers, Groovie Ghoulies, Screeching Weasel, Avail, Ann Beretta, American Steel, The Mr. T Experience, The Lillingtons, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Riverdales, Operation Ivy, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Bratmobile, Ben Weasel, Yesterday’s Kids, The Enemies, The Washdown, Even In Blackouts, Filth, Pinhead Gunpowder, The Jimmies, Small Brown Bike, Engine Down, The Lashes, The Dollyrots, The Avengers, Mary Timony, Troubled Hubble, Fifteen, Alkaline Trio, Crimpshrine, Cleveland Bound Death Sentence, Rancid, Auntie Christ, Dr. Frank

About:
Lawrence Livermore and David Hayes both planned on starting record labels in 1987. Livermore already had some experience, having released an album the previous year by his own group, the Lookouts. Hayes had been responsible for a series of cassette compilations of Bay Area punk. They both had an idea to document the scene of up-and-coming punk bands centered around The Gilman Street Project, the all-ages cooperative punk venue founded by Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Tim Yohannon, which had opened New Year’s Eve 1986. The groups who populated the stage of the small club in West Berkeley, CA were unlike much of the hardcore music dominating the punk scene of the time; this was something new. Instead of starting two labels, Livermore and Hayes combined their efforts and consolidated their releases under the label name Livermore had haphazardly chosen for the back cover of his band’s LP. And Lookout! Records was born with a series of four EPs released in early 1988.
(taken by www.punknews.org)

LOOKOUT! IST KAPUTT.
I’ve been getting a lot of Twitter questions about why a bunch of my records have disappeared from all the digital services (Sportify, iDudes, Mandora, etc.). It’s because our beloved Lookout Records, which ceased releasing new material in 2006, but carried on keeping the catalog in print until this past December, has, sadly, shuttered it’s windows for good. A better eulogy should be forthcoming, but just to answer these questions, this means that these records have reverted to my complete ownership, which is kind of cool in some ways, I guess, except that it also means I have to basically run my own label for them now unless I wind up licensing them to someone else in the future. In the immediate, I have to go through some legal stuff with the digital services to get the records back up online, and I’m hoping to have that all taken care of very soon. Physical records are now officially out of print and will likely not be repressed for a while (but I’m sure I’ll get around to it eventually). I do have a bunch of stock laying around with no plans to tour for quite a while, so if there’s interest, maybe I’ll set up a web-store so you can buy direct from me if you want. Please feel free to email or tweet me with ideas for that. All entertaining ideas will be entertained! And thank you, seriously, for giving a crap. I’m not happy to see Lookout gone, but having complete rights of usage and total and direct revenue from sales now, can ultimately turn this into a positive situation. I just have to get creative about it. Might try to bang one out more special
Tyranny of Distance event before the 10th anniversary year is over this spring…
(taken from www.tedleo.com)