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Hopeless Records, the independent record label that has played an influential role in the music industry for three remarkable decades, has announced a year's worth of special initiatives to pay tribute to the label's history. This celebration will kick off with an invite only event at Valley Relics Museum on December 8, 2023, where an exhibit showcasing memorabilia, artwork, and milestones from the past thirty years of label history, as well as artists past and present, will be unveiled for the first time. The exhibit will be open to the public the following day, December 9 and will subsequently travel nationwide with stops at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, and The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, NV.

Throughout 2024 the label will release a photobook and documentary chronicling 30 years of history, along with limited anniversary vinyl re-releases and a compilation album of their current artist roster covering Hopeless Records classics. 

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"Celebrating 30 years is a celebration of all those who have  believed in us, put their trust in us, and  have made it possible for us to  survive and thrive,” says Louis Posen, founder of Hopeless Records. “It started with my mom, step dad and  brother  believing  that a kid going blind could take $1000 and turn it into something.  Then it was all the artists, starting with Guttermouth and Fat Mike, that put trust in us with their music and knowledge. Then it was all the partners who wanted to work with us and help us bring great music to fans. Finally it was our Hopeless  staff who believed  in the vision and put their heart and soul into making a positive impact for our artists and our team. Thank you for an amazing first 30 years! We can’t wait to continue learning, growing and getting better in our next 30!”

“Our team and artists work together to create new history every day and that has added up to 30 years worth of interesting and rare artifacts. In creating this exhibit, we dug through our archives and worked with our artists to build a unique behind the scenes look at the first 30 years of Hopeless.” explains Ian Harrison, General Manager of Hopeless Records.

“A story of really good luck” tells Alan Person, CFO. “Attending CSU Northridge to complete my BA in Music Industry in 1996, I found a random ad for a room for rent in a house close to campus.  I had no idea it was the house Louis, Hopeless’ President lived in. As I was completing my degree in 1998 it only made sense that I take my new knowledge to join the team at Hopeless.  25 years later and I still feel lucky to be a part of this company.”

Founded in 1993 as an excuse to release a seven-inch by the band Guttermouth, the label spent much of the 90s catering to the prominent pop punk and ska craze with a short roster that included 88 Fingers Louie, Dillinger Four, and Mustard Plug. As mainstream tastes shifted, so did the label, which became home to a diverse spectrum of alternative music, encompassing everything from Atom and His Package and Thrice, to Avenged Sevenfold. Hopeless has been a haven for accomplished legacy acts like Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory, but has also fostered emerging new artists like Neck Deep, The Wonder Years, and illuminati hotties. Two of the label’s greatest success stories, Avenged Sevenfold and All Time Low, joined the roster early on in their respective careers, and the collaboration has since racked up a number of Gold and Platinum records. Sub City, the 501(c)(3) non-profit arm of Hopeless, donates funds and raises awareness for various non-profit organizations by connecting artists, fans and causes they are passionate about. Since 1999, Sub City has raised over 3 million dollars for more than 50 non-profit organizations including New Directions For Youth, The Trevor Project, To Write Love On Her Arms, Living the Dream, and A Place Called Home.

"Everything we do at Hopeless starts with the artist and their unique vision, message, and story. Over the past 30 years, we've seen our artists provide the soundtrack for a lifestyle, launch new genres (and flip them on their heads), inspire positive change, build and foster communities, and break the internet. It has been incredibly rewarding to work with a phenomenal roster of creative, passionate, and talented individuals, and share their music and stories with the world,” adds Erin Choi, VP of Marketing. “There's nothing that matches the feeling of watching an artist we've worked with go from playing to 5 kids in a basement to the main stage at a festival with thousands of fans screaming every lyric back to them, and knowing that we were a small part of that."

A constantly evolving positive force, Hopeless has navigated the changing tides of alternative music to continue reaching new generations of music fans over the years. During the label’s tenure, Warped Tour has come and gone, listening habits have largely moved from physical media to streaming services, and artist discovery has become more prominent on social media apps like TikTok. With this, Hopeless has emerged as a leading voice in developing young talent, proudly fostering Gen-Z voices like Waterparks, Scene Queen, Destroy Boys, Point North and NOAHFINNCE early on in their careers. As a result, Hopeless has emerged as one of the greatest independent success stories and an institution in alternative music with over 15 million records sold. 

“We are so excited to celebrate our 30th and, for me personally, I am looking forward to the next 30 years of creativity and artist development at Hopeless especially as this new era in our community, and on our roster, is more diverse culturally, sonically, and conceptually than ever before.” says Eric Tobin, EVP of Business Development and AandR. “We hope to continue growing these ideas into a new scene for future fans.”