Orchard Label

Independent record labels are very important in order to make alternative music and indie rock bands known. For example, if it weren't for the good people at Orchard Label, there wouldn't be Moon Theory, nor would moontheory.net exist for that matter. In the beginning, independent labels like the Orchard Label had to struggle simply in order to survive against the major league labels. However, that started to change with the advent of punk rock.

Punk's do it yourself mentality had a lot to do with the rise of a myriad of independent record labels both in the United States and the United Kingdom. While some of them struck up distribution deals with major labels, others decided to remain independent to be included in the UK Indie Chart. This chart didn't have any boundaries concerning genres, and listed hits form diverse styles such as punk, reggae and pop, as well as artists as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. In other cases, artists themselves created their own independent labels in order to keep full creative control over their product. Two of the better known independent labels that have scored major hits are Sub Pop and Epitaph.

SubPop was founded in 1986 in Seattle and rose to prominence in the late 1980's after signing bans Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. Even though Nirvana quickly jumped ship to Geffen Records in time for their breakthrough album Nevermind, their debut, Bleach, is still the best selling release ever by SubPop, with more than 1.7 millions copies sold only in the United States. Even 20 years after the original release, SubPop continued to make profit by putting out an anniversary edition featuring extra live material.

Epitaph Records on the other hand, can brag about having released one of the best selling, if the not the best selling independent records ever. This honor is bestowed upon The Offspring's third studio album, Smash. Just like Nirvana before them, the success of an indie-released record help them land a deal with powerhouse label Columbia records for their next album, though Epitaph still got to distribute it in Europe.

As for the Orchard Label that released the Moon Theory album, little is known about it. We know that as any self-respecting indie imprint, Orchard Label was on the look-out for avant-garde and ground-breaking acts to sign. Did Orchard Label pulled that feat off with Moon Theory? Here at moontheory.net surely wish that they had, but we must certainly give the Orchard Label credit for thinking outside the box and make an effort to present a true alternative to mainstream radio and MTV. Furthermore, we have the Orchard Label to thank for the timeless gem that is the only album by Moon Theory. Hopefully, the Orchard Label will find itself a "smash" hit in the future, pun intended.