Don Giovanni Records

Don Giovanni Records
Founded	2003 (2003)
Founder	Joe Steinhardt Zach Gajewski
Distributor(s)	Redeye
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock, experimental, hip hop
Country of origin	United States
Location	New Brunswick, New Jersey Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lansing, Michigan
Official website	www.dongiovannirecords.com

Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Michigan.

History

Don Giovanni Records was founded by Joe Steinhardt and Zach Gajewski while they were living in Boston in 2003.[1] Steinhardt and Gajewski started the label while playing in bands and attending college at Boston University, where the two had met. After graduation they moved to New Brunswick, where Steinhardt was from, in order to make the label a full-time operation.

The label is best known for developing artists like Screaming Females, Mitski, Waxahatchee, Laura Stevenson, Moor Mother, and Irreversible Entanglements, as well as fostering a geographically diverse community of artists, including Mal Blum, Native American Music Award “Best Artist” winner Keith Secola, Holy Modal Rounders founder, Peter Stampfel, Lavender Country, Swamp Dogg, Alice Bag, and comedian Chris Gethard.

In 2016, Steinhardt launched the New Alternative Music Festival.[2][3][4]

The label has been vocally critical of Record Store Day and streaming music as well as other social issues within the music industry.[5][6][7][8][9]

In 2020 the label relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[citation needed]

Roster

Further information: List of Don Giovanni Records artists and Don Giovanni Records discography

Artists such as Screaming Females, Moor Mother, Mitski, Laura Stevenson, Waxahatchee, Bad Bad Hats, Sammus, Downtown Boys, The Ergs!, Swamp Dogg, Priests, Tenement, P.S. Eliot, Jeffrey Lewis, Peter Stampfel, Worriers, Paisley Fields, and Lavender Country as well as comedian Chris Gethard have released records on Don Giovanni. The label has also published books from authors Larry Livermore and Bela Koe-Krompecher.

See also

• List of record labels
• DIY ethic
• The Court Tavern

References

1. Sherman, Maria. "The Don Giovanni Story: Nothing Jersey Shore About It". myspace. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.
2. Knox, Ron (2016-11-10). "Joe Steinhardt Launched the New American Music Festival to Stave Off the Impending Death of Indie Music". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
3. "New Alternative Music Festival | Music in New York". Time Out New York. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
4. Sherman, Maria (September 19, 2016). "The New Alternative Music Fest Defies Commodification". clrvynt.comT. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
5. Pessaro, Fred (April 18, 2017). "'Fvck Record Store Day' Manifesto Author Doubles Down". clrvynt.com. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
6. "Repressed: How Independent Artists and Labels Are Getting Squeezed Out by the "Vinyl Revival"". www.vice.com. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
7. "We Must Destroy the Spotify Business Model". Spark Mag. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
8. Punknews.org (27 August 2014). "Don Giovanni Records owner asks labels to drop The Queers and Screeching Weasel, then apologizes". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
9. Jordan, Chris. "NJ's Don Giovanni Records heads to SXSW after immigration fight". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

External links

• Official website