Editing K Records (section)

==History==
Calvin Johnson founded K Records with the intention of distributing [[Cassette tape|cassette tapes]] of a local band, The Supreme Cool Beings, which he had recorded performing for his radio show at [[Evergreen State College]] radio station [[KAOS (FM)]]. According to author [[Gina Arnold]], the name "K" originally stood for "knowledge"—as in knowledge of regional [[underground music]] scenes and of music in general.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arnold |first1=Gina |title=Route 666: On the Road to Nirvana |date=1993 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-31209-376-1 |page=111}}</ref> Johnson, however, has stated that "it's unclear why the name is K."<ref name=LoveRock>{{cite book|last1=Baumgarten|first1=Mark|title=Love Rock Revolution|date=2012|publisher=Sasquatch Books|location=Seattle|isbn=978-1-57061-822-2}}</ref>{{rp|page=67}}

K was run from Johnson's kitchen in Olympia until January 1986, when he hired Candice Pedersen for $20 a week and academic credit at Evergreen State College. Pedersen became a full partner in 1989 until selling her half of the label to Johnson in 1999.<ref name=LoveRock /> In 2016, Pedersen told ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]'' that the separation was on "bad terms," and that Calvin had reluctantly agreed to a payment plan for her share, to be paid back over 20 years.<ref name="Stranger2016" />

The label's first [[Phonograph record|vinyl record]] release was the 1984 Beat Happening 45, "Our Secret / What's Important," <ref name=LoveRock /> but the great bulk of the label's early releases were made on the medium of cassette tapes, with "about 20" cassette releases noted in a 1986 ''[[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]]'' interview, in addition to "4 more in the works."<ref name=Flip51>{{cite news | author =  Hudley Flipside   | title = Beat Happening | work = [[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]] | issue = 51 | date = Winter 1986 | pages = 12–13}}</ref>

Johnson noted:

<blockquote>A cassette is great for a local scene like Olympia because a band can release a cassette and not have to spend their would-be savings. If they were to press 500 records, there goes their savings. But if you do a cassette you make up as many as you need, they're cheap, and if you don't sell them you just use them.<ref name=Flip51 /></blockquote>

This large group of local cassette-only releases was built into a mail order distribution business, which eventually become a full-time job for Johnson and Pederson.<ref name=Flip51 /> A newsletter was put out in support of the mail order operation, which in 1986 had a circulation of about 2,000.<ref name=Flip51 /> The label also benefited from an early distribution deal with [[Rough Trade Records]] in 1985.<ref name=LoveRock />

K's distribution roster expanded as Johnson reached out to independent acts he discovered through his radio show at KAOS-FM. Acts would receive distribution through K newsletters and cassette compilations.<ref name=LoveRock />

Mariella Luz, a long-standing employee, is currently the [[general manager]]. In 2016, several artists on the K roster shared concerns about missed royalties from the label, with [[The Moldy Peaches]] singer and solo act [[Kimya Dawson]] describing the label as a "broken, sinking ship."<ref name="Stranger2016">{{cite web|last1=Segal|first1=Dave|title=Is K Records a 'Broken, Sinking Ship'?|url=http://www.thestranger.com/music/feature/2016/02/24/23611835/is-k-records-a-broken-sinking-ship|website=The Stranger|access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> Phil Elverum of the Microphones and Jared Warren of KARP also spoke on the record about late royalty payments and difficulties engaging the label. Johnson said K would liquidate its holdings to make good on its debts to artists, but stated that the label was not in jeopardy.<ref name="Stranger2016" /><ref name="Blevins">{{cite web|last1=Blevins|first1=Joe|title=Read This: Is indie mainstay K Records shortchanging artists?|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/read-indie-mainstay-k-records-shortchanging-artist-232793|website=www.avclub.com|access-date=12 June 2016|date=24 February 2016}}</ref>

===International Pop Underground===
In 1987, K Records shifted from cassette distribution to vinyl single production with the launch of the "International Pop Underground" series.<ref name=LoveRock /> During that year, K Records released 10 vinyl singles, which put the label in regular contract with distributors and increasing their interest in K's releases.<ref name=LoveRock /> This batch of releases included a new Beat Happening single "Look Around" and the first of the label's many [[Mecca Normal]] releases.

Over time, the series would include releases from artists including [[Teenage Fanclub]], [[Mirah]], [[The Microphones]], [[Make-Up (American band)|Make-Up]], [[Thee Headcoats]], and [[Built to Spill]].

In 1991, K Records organized the week-long [[International Pop Underground Convention]].<ref name=Nelson>{{cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Chris|title=The day the music didn't die|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2001-08-08/music/the-day-the-music-didn-t-die/|access-date=19 March 2015|publisher=Seattle Weekly|date=9 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121803/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2001-08-08/music/the-day-the-music-didn-t-die/|archive-date=2015-04-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> This event featured more than fifty independent and punk bands, including [[Bikini Kill]], Beat Happening, [[Fugazi]], [[L7 (band)|L7]], [[Unwound]], and [[Jad Fair]]. It has been called "a remarkable testament of musical self-preservation and fierce resistance to corporate takeover."<ref name=Margasak>{{cite news|last1=Margasak|first1=Peter|title=Various Artists International Pop Underground ...|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/10/various-artistsinternational-pop-underground-convention-kstarstarthe-international/|access-date=19 March 2015|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=10 December 1992}}</ref> The music festival included arts and crafts, film presentations, and poetry readings, and was notable for its deliberate lack of hired security officers.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Chris|title=The day the music didn't die: The independent music world came to Olympia 10 years ago for a pivotal event.|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2001-08-08/music/the-day-the-music-didn-t-die/|access-date=12 March 2015|publisher=Seattle Weekly|date=October 9, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121803/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2001-08-08/music/the-day-the-music-didn-t-die/|archive-date=2015-04-02|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Azzerrad />

===Dub Narcotic Studio===
[[File:Dub_Narcotic_Studio.jpg|thumb|Interior of Dub Narcotic Studio]]
In 1993, Johnson converted a small basement space into a recording studio, which he named Dub Narcotic Studio. The arrangement allowed him to host musicians while recording, and to experiment with studio engineering techniques. Beck recorded ''[[One Foot in the Grave (album)|One Foot in the Grave]]'' for K Records at Dub Narcotic, which became its most financially successful record. Other albums recorded at the studio include early [[Modest Mouse]] albums, Johnson's eponymous [[Dub Narcotic Sound System]] project, and [[The Halo Benders]]' ''[[God Don't Make No Junk]]'' album.<ref name="LoveRock" />

The studio was relocated to the former Olympia Knitting Mills building in the late 1990s, and added a 16-track tape machine. The extra space meant the studio could serve as offices for K Records and provide artist and musician housing. Other businesses in the mill included independent musician service companies offering services such as tour booking, promotion, and artist studio space.<ref name=LoveRock /> In 2016, Johnson acknowledged that the studio hadn't generated the income he had anticipated for the label.<ref name="Stranger2016" />

Then an Evergreen State College student, [[Phil Elverum]] of [[the Microphones]] recorded his first album, ''[[Tests (album)|Tests]]'' (1998), after being given the keys to the studio. Elverum became a fixture of the Dub Narcotic control room. Among albums recorded by Elverum at the studio were the [[Jon Spencer Blues Explosion]]. The debut record by Arrington de Dionyso, an Evergreen student with an internship at K, was recorded and released on K as [[Old Time Relijun]]. Elverum also recorded Mirah Tov Zeitlyn, known as [[Mirah]], at the studio. These acts helped define a new era of the K Records sound, which shifted its emphasis and started producing records known for their experimental production techniques while maintaining their lo-fi authenticity.<ref name=LoveRock />