Go-Kart Records was an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

specializing in

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

located in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

that was most active from 1995 to 2005. It also has a European division in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, Germany.

History

In its May 1999 issue, ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

'' magazine listed Go-Kart as one of the "twelve most influential forces in punk rock today" along with

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...

Ian MacKaye Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore pu ...

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Init ...

and

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

. In 2003 the label released the first commercially available MP3 CdD entitled the "Go-kart MP300 Raceway." All-music called the release a, "revolution in a jewel case." It contained 300 songs from 150 bands and included an MP3 player and instructions on how to burn the songs to CD. In 2004, the company opened an office in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and started an offshoot division to release independent films under the moniker Go-kart Films. The Los Angeles office closed in 2008. From 2006 to 2007, label owner Greg Ross hosted a show entitled ''Radio Free Greg'' on Punk Radio Cast (punkradiocast.com) that was the station's most popular show and one of the most listened to shows on the Internet. As of 2012, the label has slowed down, occasionally releasing music under the Go-Kart imprint as well as its pop-punk imprint Kid Tested Records.

Artists

Go-Kart

''Artists that appeared on Go-kart releases (full-lengths, EPs and 7"s --- does not include artists that appeared only on compilations)''
* 46 Short *

4Ft Fingers 4ft Fingers (pronounced "four foot fingers") are an English punk rock band from Cheltenham, England, formed in 1996. They play very fast, melodic skate punk. History 4 ft Fingers were formed in Cheltenham in 1996, although they did not b ...

* Amazombies *

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag was an American punk rock band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The band was known for its left-wing politics, left-wing political activism. For the majority of the band's career, their members included Justin Sane (voc ...

* Bambix *

Banner Pilot Banner Pilot is a Punk rock, punk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Their music is influenced by acts such as Jawbreaker (band), Jawbreaker, The Lawrence Arms, Screeching Weasel, and Hot Water Music. History The band was formed b ...

* Berserk *

Black Army Jacket Black Army Jacket was an American powerviolence band. They released one album and many 7-inch EPs, splits and compilation appearances. Their members have gone on to play in such bands as Municipal Waste, Deny the Cross, Matt Pond PA, Burnt by ...

Black Velvet Flag Black Velvet Flag was a New York City-based comedy music trio, known for their humorous, lounge-styled covers of songs by Southern California punk rock bands, and for performing while wearing tuxedos. They became known in 1994, after performing on ...

* Boris The Sprinkler * Brothers Of Conquest * Buttsteak *

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...

* Candy Snatchers * Canned Travolta * Capture The Flag * Conflict *

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild ...

* Daycare Swindlers *

Doc Hopper DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: People and characters * Doc, an abbreviation of doctor * Doc (nickname) * Doc (mascot), the Towson University mascot Persons * The D.O.C., American rapper (born 1968) * Doc Gallows (born 1983), ring name of ...

* Down By Law * GBH * Guff *

Hagfish Hagfish, of the Class (biology), class Myxini (also known as Hyperotreti) and Order (biology), order Myxiniformes , are eel-shaped Agnatha, jawless fish (occasionally called slime eels). Hagfish are the only known living Animal, animals that h ...

* Hemlock * I Farm *

Icons Of Filth Icons of Filth are a Welsh anarcho-punk band that were formed in 1979. The issues the band promoted through their lyrics included animal rights, anarchism, environmentalism, anti war, vegetarianism, veganism, antiglobalisation, feminism, and ...

* INDK * IRA * Jett Brando *

Lunachicks Lunachicks are an American punk rock band from New York City. The band formed in 1987 and had been on hiatus since 2001, with the band reuniting in 2019. The band cited influences including the Ramones, Kiss, and the MC5. Biography Theo Ko ...

Manda And The Marbles Manda and the Marbles were a pop punk/ new wave band from Columbus, Ohio. History :''Many grown-up children of the '80s have a special place in their hearts for ladies such as the Go-Go's, Bananarama, and Kim "Kids in America" Wilde. Their mu ...

The Menzingers The Menzingers are an American punk rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. The band consists of Greg Barnett (vocals, guitar), Tom May (vocals, guitar), Eric Keen (bass) and Joe Godino (drums). To date, the band has released eigh ...

* Misery *

Parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

Pigmy Love Circus Pigmy Love Circus is a Los Angeles rock band that has existed since the mid-1980s era of the Hollywood underground rock scene. Pigmy Love Circus originally consisted of Shepherd Stevenson on bass, Mike Savage on vocals, Anthony Martinez (of B ...

* Pinkerton Thugs * Plan A Project * Pseudo Heroes * Randy's Ripcord * RIFU * Sexpod * Shake Appeal * Sick On The Bus * Southport * Star Strangled Bastards * Stress Magnets * Sweet Diesel *

Ten Foot Pole Ten Foot Pole (formerly Scared Straight) is an American punk rock band. History Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 under the name Scared Straight. Scared Straight was a punk band from Simi Valley, California. The band was formed in 1983 by a ...

* The Control *

The Meatmen The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee, originally existing from 1981 to 1988, before reforming in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2000s. They were known for their outrageous stage antics and offensive lyrics. They reformed i ...

* The Shocker * The Spades * The Templars * The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black * Token Entry * Toxic Narcotic * Transmission0 * Trick Babys * Two Man Advantage * Underdog *

Varukers The Varukers are a British punk rock band formed in 1979 by vocalist Anthony "Rat" Martin. They produced their most influential recordings in the early 1980s. The band play in D-beat, the musical style of Discharge. Also like Discharge, the V ...

Vision of Disorder Vision of Disorder is an American hardcore/metalcore band from Long Island, New York, that initially released three albums before disbanding in 2002. The band garnered attention for blending melody and groove into a traditional hardcore framewo ...

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

* Wives

Go-Kart Europe

''Artists Released on Go-kart Europe (full-lengths, EPs and 7"s --- does not include artists that appeared only on compilations)'' * Bambix * Dr. Norton * Duesenjaeger * Go Faster Nuns * Jupiter Jones * Malkovich * Nervous Nellie * Olehole * Rifu * The Shocker * The Very Job Agency *

World/Inferno Friendship Society The World/Inferno Friendship Society (also referred to as World Inferno, or Inferno) was an American band from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. Its style merged Punk rock, punk, soul music, soul, klezmer and jazz, while its Musical collect ...

Compilations

* Brats On The Beat: Ramones for Kids * Destroy Television VHS * Double Exposure * Expose Yourself * Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant * Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant 2 * Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant 3 * Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant 4 * NY's Hardest 3 * Over Exposed * Pop Punk's Not Dead * Punk Uprisings 2 * Skippy Zine/ CD * Soundtrack to Troma's Terror Firmer * Step on a Crack Vol.2 * The Go-kart MP300 Raceway * Twisted TV DVD * Welcome To The Altamont Speedway 7" * Your Scene Sucks

Advocacy

The label is an outspoken critic of the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), arguing that the association uses ineffective and heavy-handed business tactics and does not fulfill its claims to represent the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

.An Open Letter from Go-Kart Records to the RIAA
/ref> In contrast to the RIAA, the label promotes music downloads, arguing that they help consumers sample music before buying. It has released five albums and numerous single songs for free download on its webpage.

References

External links

Official site

Go-Kart Europe site

Go-Kart Films site

An Open Letter from Go-Kart Records to the RIAA

Downhill Battle's interview with Greg Ross, owner of Go-Kart Records

IndieHQ interview with Go-kart founder Greg Ross
{{Authority control American independent record labels Punk record labels