Jonathan Poneman
Jonathan Poneman | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1959 [1] Toledo, Ohio [1] |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder, Sub Pop |
| Years active | 1988-Present |
| Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award American Association of Independent Music [2] |
| Website | www.subpop.com |
Jonathan Poneman is an American music industry executive and co-founder of Sub Pop, an independent record label whose early signings include releases by Soundgarden, Nirvana and Mudhoney. Sub Pop is credited with ushering in the 1990s "grunge" movement. [3]
Early life and education
Poneman was born on October 9, 1959 in Toledo, Ohio to Harold Poneman,[4] a cardiologist, and Beverly Poneman, a nurse. He spent his early life in Ottawa Hills. [5] He attended boarding school for 10th and 11th grade, and graduated from high school in Arizona. In August of 1977 he followed a girlfriend to Bellingham, Washington and relocated solo to Seattle in August of '79. [4]
Career
Prior to Sub Pop, Poneman was a radio DJ (host of the show Audioasis for University of Washington's college station, KCMU). He also promoted early shows by Soundgarden, Green River and Skin Yard and performed as a musician himself.
Soundgarden guitarist, Kim Thayil, suggested Poneman work with Bruce Pavitt, a fellow DJ and local music fan, who had released their first EP, Screaming Life, to release their next album, which Pavitt was struggling to finance. Poneman had interviewed Pavitt for his radio show and agreed to fund the album. On April 1, 1988, their partnership was solidified: both quit their day jobs and signed for their first office lease as Sub Pop, LLC.
In 1989, the label released Nirvana's debut, Bleach, which remains Sub Pop's all-time best selling album, with more than two million units sold. [6]
Sub Pop
Pavitt left Sub Pop in 1996 following a disagreement on the direction the label was taking. [6]
In 1997, Poneman started an offshoot label called Hardly Art. [7]
Health
In 2010 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's and is an advocate for education and research to find a cure. [8]
Awards
In 2014, Poneman was the recipient of the Independent Spirit Award, presented by the Music Business Association, in 2014. [9] In 2019 he was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). [10]
References
- ^ a b "How a kid from Toledo changed rock 'n' roll forever". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Aswad, Jem; Aswad, Jem (2019-05-14). "Sub Pop Records Cofounder Jonathan Poneman to Receive A2IM Lifetime Achievement Award". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Burns, Geoff (2017-08-06). "How A Kid from Toledo Changed Rock 'N' Roll Forever". The Blade. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Howell, Steve. "Jonathan Poneman interview". www.musicnotesandquotes.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rubin, Mike (April 1, 1995). "Swingin' on the Flippity Flop with Sub Pop". Spin. p. 161. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Elliott, Gwendolyn (2018-08-01). "The Sub Pop Timeline". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sub Pop Founder Starts New Label, Hardly Art". Prefix. March 9, 2007. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Brodeur, Nicole (2013-05-31). "Sub Pop Founder Finds Calm in Dire Diagnosis". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sylvia Rhone and Jonathan Poneman Award Presentations Headline Music Biz 2014'S Opening Session". musicbiz.org. March 24, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Aswad, Jem (May 14, 2019). "Sub Pop Records Cofounder Jonathan Poneman to Receive A2IM Lifetime Achievement Award". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)