Scratchie Records was an independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 founded in 1995

1995 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....

 by James Iha

James Iha

James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...

 and D'arcy Wretzky

D'arcy Wretzky

D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky is an American musician. She is best known for her work as the original bass player of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins...

 (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger

Adam Schlesinger

Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....

 (Fountains of Wayne

Fountains of Wayne

Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...

, Ivy

Ivy (band)

Ivy is a New York City band composed of a trio of musicians, Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, and Andy Chase.-Lately and Realistic:...

), Kerry Brown (ex-Catherine

Catherine (alternative rock band)

Catherine was an alternative rock band from Chicago, Illinois that was active from 1985 to 1998. They were signed to TVT Records.-Early years:...

) and Jeremy Freeman.

Initially, Scratchie was based in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and had distribution through Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

, but a year of legal wrangling ended the pact after Universal merged with Mercury's parent company, Polygram. Scratchie then signed a deal with New Line and moved to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Selected Artists

• Eszter Balint
  Eszter Balint
  Eszter Balint is a singer, songwriter, violinist, and actress. She first emerged as a child member of the avant-garde Squat Theatre troupe before making her cinematic debut in 1984 in director Jim Jarmusch's independent film Stranger Than Paradise...
  
  
• The Blank Theory
  The Blank Theory
  The Blank Theory was a five-piece rock group from Chicago, Illinois.They self-released two albums, Blinding Process in 1998 and Catalyst in 2000. Catalyst included the track "Nevermind" which was featured in a segment of MTV Road Rules. While the first two independent releases were hard edged indie...
  
  
• Blaze
  Blaze (band)
  Blaze is a house-music group formed in 1984 in New Jersey, USA.-Career:It was formed by Josh Milan, Kevin Hedge, and Chris Herbert, when Herbert introduced Milan, a member of his church choir, to Hedge, his childhood friend...
  
  
• Dan Bryk
  Dan Bryk
  Dan Waldemar Bryk is a Canadian-born singer-songwriter and recording artist. Originally from Toronto, Bryk is currently based in New York City...
  
  
• Catherine
  Catherine (band)
  Catherine is a now defunct metalcore band from Sacramento, California.-Most Recent Lineup:*Nick Bradwell - lead vocals, piano*Robert Tobin - rhythm guitar, keyboard, programming*Taylor Rearick - lead guitar...
  
  
• Chainsaw Kittens
  Chainsaw Kittens
  The Chainsaw Kittens were a part of the American alternative rock scene, drawing from pop, glam rock, punk, new wave and British Invasion music. Their lyrics tackled such varied topics as religion, the Stonewall Riots, Federico Fellini, Oklahoma, Erik Menendez, and Oscar Wilde.Based in Norman,...
  
  
• DJ Nabee Swift
• Eugene, a.k.a. Brandon Owens
• Fondly
  Fondly
  Fondly was a Chicago-based trio that produced two albums of indie punk in the mid to late 90's. Brian Burkhard, Andy Grzenia, and Dick Simpson were the three original members. They released a self-titled CD - Recorded by Brian Deck in his basement. The album got great reviews and was named album...
  
  
• Fountains of Wayne
  Fountains of Wayne
  Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
  
  
• The Frogs
  The Frogs (band)
  The Frogs are an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion. The brothers mainly write and perform short, catchy pop songs, but they are also known for their improvised home recordings which are delivered in a comedic style, and often...
  
  
• Fulflej
  Fulflej
  Fulflej were a rock band from Richmond, Virginia, United States, formed in 1986 by guitarist/vocalist Jason Greschke and bassist Andre Phillips. They were signed to Scratchie Records.-Biography:The band evolved from two previous projects...
  
  
• Albert Hammond Jr.
• Mike Ladd
  Mike Ladd
  Mike Ladd is a hip-hop MC and producer. As an MC, he practices spoken-word and is known for his poetic lyrics. As a producer, he is known as the owner of the Likemadd label.-Biography:...
  
  
• Lava and The Hot Rocks
• Midnight Movies
  Midnight Movies
  Midnight Movies were an indie rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2002. Composed of Gena Olivier , Larry Schemel , and Jason Hammons , the indie rock trio quickly crafted a moody and stylish sound. They became a major face on the L.A. music scene within a year, and earned a nomination...
  
  
• Monkey Paw
• Office
  Office (band)
  Office is a Chicago-based pop band that formed in 2000.-History:The band began as a public performance outlet for songwriter Scott Masson while attending Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan...
  
  
• Pancho Kryztal
• Phoenix Thunderstone
• Robbers on High Street
  Robbers on High Street
  Robbers on High Street are an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York.-History:Robbers on High Street began performing publicly during the summer of 2002, but the band's roots stretch back much further. Ben Trokan and Steve "Sparky" Mercado have been friends since their preteen years growing up...
  
  
• The Sights
  The Sights
  The Sights are a rock and roll band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1998. Members include Eddie Baranek , Dave Tick Talkin Lawson , Gordon Smith and Skip Denomme . Former members include Mike Trombley, Mark Leahey, Nate Cavalieri, Matt Hatch, Bobby Emmett and Dave Knepp...
  
  
• The Sounds
  The Sounds
  The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....