Chatterbox 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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

, founded in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

by musician Nik Tropiano and Sebastian Chase of

Phantom Records Phantom Records was an Australian record store and independent record label established in 1978 by Dare Jennings and Jules R.B. Normington. Phantom Records was one of Australia's first indie labels, and the store was known for its guerilla ma ...

. The label boasts an eclectic mixture of various genres. Its first release was a vinyl EP from Sydney electro-goth band Cult 45. Just two years later, the label came close to mainstream success when Canberra

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...

band

Henry's Anger Henry's Anger was a Canberra-based heavy metal band, active in the 1990s. Their second album, ''Personality Test'', was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album They supported many acts such as Deftones, Mr Bungle, Suicidal Tendenc ...

was nominated for an

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

in the 'Best Rock Album' category for the album ''Personality Test''. In 2000 Chatterbox came close again when the Sydney all-girl rock act

Skulker Skulker was an ARIA Award-nominated rock band from Sydney that formed in 1994. After two albums, the group parted ways in 2005. History The group's original members met at Cheltenham Girls High School in northern Sydney in 1994 and decided ...

was nominated in the 'Best Independent Release' category for its album ''Too Fat for Tahiti''. By now, the label had built a considerable roster of local acts that also included

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

legends

The Hard Ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guit ...

and the

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band

Alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

. Chatterbox was also courting foreign acts, one of the first to sign to the label being latter-day

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on div ...

act

Toilet Böys Toilet Böys are an American rock and roll band from New York City, United States. The band's original line-up is made up of Miss Guy, Sean Pierce, Electric Eddie, Rocket, and Adam Vomit. Toilet Böys have toured world-wide supporting musical ac ...

. After this, Chatterbox has attracted a string of independent and alternative artists from all genres and in 2006 picked up

Nashville Pussy Nashville Pussy is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially called Hell's Half-Acre, the band's name comes from Ted Nugent's introduction to " Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" on the ''Double Live Gonzo'' album. Following the initial ...

as part of its growing list of international signings. The company also had arms that handle publicity, booking and management for artists not attached to the record label.

Current roster

* 1,2 Seppuku * Blacklevel Embassy *

Brian Jonestown Massacre The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American musical project and band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film called '' Dig!'', and have gained media noto ...

* Cockfight Shootout * Einstellung * Adam Franklin * Further * Ghosts of Television * Grand Fatal *

Laura Imbruglia Laura Imbruglia (born 15 June 1983) is an Australian indie rock singer-songwriter. Early life and family Imbruglia's father is an Italian of Sicilian heritage and her mother Anglo-Australian. She grew up on the Central Coast. Among four d ...

* Massappeal *

* Nunchukka Superfly * Peabody * Sing-Sing * Stockholm Syndrome * Talons * Todd Sparrow *

* Wog

Former artists

* Cult 45 *

Daysend Daysend (pronounced ''days-end'') were an Australia melodic death metal band formed in 2002 by mainstays Aaron Bilbija on guitars and Meredith Webster on bass guitar. They were joined later that year by Wayne Morris on drums. From 2003 to 200 ...

* Psi.Kore *

Regular John Regular John are an Australian Psychedelic Rock band based in Sydney, NSW. The group consists of Ryan A (guitar, vocals, synths), Caleb Goman (bass, vocals), Ryan McDonald (drums) and Miles Devine (guitar). Their first EP Marrickville 2204 was ...

Walk the Earth ''Walk the Earth'' is the eleventh studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 20 October 2017. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Background The album was recorded in Abbey Ro ...

{{Authority control Australian independent record labels Record labels based in Sydney Record labels established in 1997