Jonathan Poneman
Jonathan Poneman | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1959 [1] Toledo, Ohio [1] |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Record Label Owner, Sub Pop, Hardly Art |
| Years active | 1988-Present |
| Parent(s) | Harold Poneman, Beverly Poneman (nee Sutker) |
| Website | www.subpop.com |
Jonathan Poneman is a North American record executive who co-owns two record labels: Sub Pop and Hardly Art. [2]
Early life and education
The third child born to Harold and Beverly Poneman was born on October 9, 1959 in Toledo, Ohio. Poneman grew up in the suburb of Ottawa Hills. [3] After getting kicked out of high school in 11th grade, Poneman went on to graduate from Arcadia High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1977. He moved to Washington State that same year. [4]
Career
In 1983, Poneman began volunteering at the University of Washington's student-run radio station, KCMU, a forerunner to KEXP, and important champion of local independent music. Mark Arm of Mudhoney, photographer Charles Peterson, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and Poneman's eventual business partner Bruce Pavitt, had regular air shifts at the station.
At a 1985 KCMU benefit show Poneman had booked, he first saw Soundgarden perform. In 1987, he helped raise money to get Soundgarden's debut single and EP, Screaming Life, released on Pavitt's fledgling Sub Pop label. On April 1, 1988, Poneman and Pavitt opened Sub Pop Records as a full service record label in Seattle, Washington [5]
Poneman was the first record label executive to sign Nirvana to a record contract. [5]
In 1997, Poneman started an offshoot label called Hardly Art. [6]
As of 2020, Poneman remains at the helm of Sub Pop Records and splits his time between Seattle, Washington; Brooklyn, New York; and Lipce Reymontowski, PL
Health
In 2013 Poneman was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. [7]
Awards
In 2014, Poneman was the recipient of the Independent Spirit Award, presented by the Music Business Association, in 2014. [8] In 2019 he was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). [9]
References
- ^ a b "How a kid from Toledo changed rock 'n' roll forever". Toledo Blade. 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) - ^ 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) - ^ Howell, Steve. "Jonathan Poneman interview". www.musicnotesandquotes.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
{{cite web}}: 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)