US EditionPunk Label Fat Wreck Chords, Home to NOFX & More, Sells Catalog to Hopeless Records: ‘It’s Very Pure’
SAN FRANCISCO AND VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, JUL 9 – Hopeless Records acquired Fat Wreck Chords' catalog, forgiving $3.5 million in artist debts and focusing on preserving Fat Wreck's legacy with no new signings policy, labels said.
- Hopeless Records acquired the catalog of punk label Fat Wreck Chords in a deal announced on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
- The acquisition follows over a year of partnership talks between Fat Wreck Chords founders Fat Mike and Erin Kelly-Burkett and Hopeless founder Louis Posen, who share a 30-year friendship.
- As part of the deal, Hopeless will adopt a no-new-signings policy and forgive $3.5 million in unrecouped balances, leaving Fat Wreck’s over 100 artists debt-free while Mike and Erin keep the label's name and logo.
- Posen described the opportunity to guide Fat Wreck Chords' future as a highlight of his three-decade career, while Kelly-Burkett called the agreement one of her most significant and thrilling decisions to date.
- The partnership enables Mike and Erin to step back from day-to-day management while ensuring Fat Wreck Chords' legacy continues, highlighted by upcoming anniversary events and new releases from key roster bands.
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Hopeless Records Has Acquired Fat Wreck Chords Catalog, and They're Doing Something Very Cool With It
Hopeless Records has announced that they’ve acquired fellow punk rock record label Fat Wreck Chords’s catalog, and they’re going to be forgiving artist debts. Lambgoat reports that Hopeless has, in a manner of speaking, brought Fat Wreck Chords (FAT) in as a companion label, meaning: it’s not being shuttered. Fat Wreck Chords co-founders Fat Mike (of NOFX) and Erin Kelly-Burkett will remain owners of the label’s name, logo, and trademark. Hopele…
Hopeless Records Acquires Fat Wreck Chords Catalog in New Partnership
As part of the acquisition, Fat Wreck Chords' roster's unrecouped balances will be waived, and Hopeless has agreed to a no-new-signings policy to keep focused on Fat Wreck's current roster.
Hopeless Records And Fat Wreck Chords Announce Landmark Partnership
Hopeless Records and Fat Wreck Chords have announced their partnership, uniting two of punk’s most influential independent labels. The result of a long-standing connection between the two labels, Hopeless will acquire the Fat Wreck Chords catalog. All unrecouped balances for currently signed Fat Wreck Chords artists will be zeroed out, and Hopeless will adopt a no-new-signings policy for Fat Wreck Chords, ensuring all focus and resources stay on…
After some rumors have already circulated in recent months, it is now official: Fat Wreck Chords, the independent punk label of NOFX-Frontmann ... The post Fat Wreck Chords sells artist catalogue to Hopeless Records first appeared on MoreCore.de.
Fat Wreck Chords sells catalog to Hopeless Records
After 35 years and hundreds of releases from some of the most important punk bands of all time, Fat Wreck Chords has sold its catalog to fellow alternative rock luminaries Hopeless Records. Coming off the tail end of the final shows of founder Fat Mike's long-time band, NOFX, the deal marks a unique partnership between two of the biggest names in the business, with Hopeless owner Louis Posen celebrating that the partnership could mean for music …
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