Rhino Records co-founder Richard Foos reveals how a scrappy record shop invented reissue culture, chasing master tapes, getting arrested for selling bootleg records, memories of Frank Zappa, Darby Crash and more.

Topics Include:

  • Foos discusses being called originator of reissue culture, credits early employee's phrase.
  • Started as a Los Angeles record shop in 1973.
  • Recalls how scarce and cheap rare records were before collecting culture existed.
  • Describes hunting records at warehouses, swap meets, and Salvation Army stores.
  • Notes punk rock's DIY ethos sparked broader music fandom and collecting.
  • Rhino's shop became a punk hangout; Darby Crash was banned for chaos.
  • Explains how punk bands pressed 45s since albums were too costly.
  • James Brown's out-of-print catalog became Rhino's breakthrough first major reissue.
  • Details licensing process: major labels' passive licensing departments simply approved requests.
  • Rhino insisted on original master tapes, never secondary sources or stampers.
  • Engineer Bill Englott restored recordings purely, never altering original mixes.
  • Some projects stalled without usable masters, like a punk box set.
  • Nuggets compilation missed "96 Tears" for years due to licensing issues.
  • Foos explains Rhino's sequencing philosophy: welcoming newcomers, not strict chronology.
  • Doo-wop box set, initially unpopular internally, became Rhino's best-selling release.
  • Discusses 20-25 year nostalgia cycles driving collectibility of past decades' music.
  • Notes scarce 2000s vinyl pressings now make that era highly collectible.
  • Rhino focused on best listening experience over rarities for rarity's sake.
  • Foos recounts pre-Rhino bootlegging ties and friendship with bootleg artist Bill Stout.
  • Reveals he was arrested for selling bootlegs during a warehouse sale.
  • Discusses how record labels misunderstood fandom, limiting artist output and bootlegs.
  • Reflects on vinyl's spiritual appeal despite many records never being played.
  • Compares cassette-era scarcity to streaming's shifting availability of licensed content.
  • Predicts streaming remains the future, praises YouTube's vast musical accessibility.
  • Doubts catalog values will keep rising, questions which artists endure historically.
  • Criticizes a post-Rhino "L.A. Nuggets" box set for prioritizing rarity over listenability.
  • Recalls Kinky Friedman rejecting a hits compilation over disliking his originals.
  • Explains publishing hurdles licensing music for Freaks and Geeks and WKRP DVDs.
  • Describes working with Frank Zappa on Beat the Boots and elaborate packaging.
  • Shares current work: Shout Factory, wife's Narrative Method, and a new podcast.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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