Rubellan Remasters, the independent label that licensed, perhaps "forgotten," major label records and gave them a deluxe treatment is ending its operations. The label recently re-released (almost) the entire Oingo Boingo catalog with bonus tracks, which received critical acclaim. They also re-released records by the seminal Suburban Lawns, The Anvil, Suzanne Vega, Missing Persons, Berlin, and many others.
However, over the past few years, the label expressed frustration that they would license material, work up a deluxe reissue, and then have the license pulled before the album went into production. Apparently, the straw that broke the camel's back was when the label licensed a significant chunk of The Split Endz catalog. The label had invested a significant amount of time and money into the project, including working up bonus tracks, only for the licensing label to pull the license once the band learned about the reissues and demanded that the license be terminated.
The label lasted about 7 years and released an impressive 80+ titles. You can see their statement below.
Rubellan Statement
I have the unfortunate news that Rubellan Remasters is shutting down as a label after nearly 3/4 of a decade of very well received dynamic remasters of many lost or neglected new wave/alternative classics. For those who have been following my label for years, it's been no secret the struggle it has been to get anything reissued. I'm not going to rehash the sordid history here (it would be a novel) but it's been an absolute chore to maintain any sort of release schedule out of passion for the music and the products, especially over the last couple of years in which some pretty underhanded things had been done. A more detailed version of this statement was sent to members of the distribution list.
After the way things have played out over the years, the situation of the license being revoked (story below in the timeline) at the last minute was the final indignity. I notified Universal to cancel all outstanding reissue requests, and also called them out on their poor conduct. It's easy to romanticize the idea of running a third party record label, and part of the main reason I've been forthcoming over the years is to bring the reality to the public. It's a clumsy trainwreck one has to attempt to navigate to get anything released, and even the most tolerant individual has their limits.
It's been one insult after another, but I've tried to maintain some sort of positive opinion of my primary licensing contact because you don't always want to think you're making a deal with the devil. That was my mistake. In the end, it's a big corporate machine and the people in these prime positions might as well be robots. There have been some amazing people (outside of licensing) who I have worked with over the years that have proven invaluable. Unfortunately, during the recent layoffs at the label, a couple of those who have been great resources in the past were casualties, yet the two who have caused the most problems remain. Go figure…
I'm always pleased to see such support from the long time Rubellan faithful who have followed my releases and taken chances on artists they've never heard. If it weren't for the dedication and enthusiasm of my customer base, I would have stopped this a long time ago. It was your excitement of what I was trying to do that kept it going when I've had doubts in the past. Personally, I feel a sense of relief at this point, and it's felt for a while that this was inevitable.
The online store will remain for now, and there's been further price reductions on titles. Check out each section for the full list of what's still available: https://www.rubellanremasters.com/online-store
Thanks for all of the support over the years, and call this another victim of the soulless corporate machine.