Jonathan Simkin was working as Nickelback’s lawyer when his relationship with frontman Chad Kroeger became more creative, bouncing opinions off each other about bands that caught their attention. It led to the pair co-founding the 604 Group in Vancouver, starting with their record label 604 Records — named after the area code in southwestern British Columbia where they both lived.
Simkin also managed Carly Rae Jepsen for five years — still on 604 Records — whose out-of-the-blue smash single “Call Me Maybe” helped build the label, enabling them to expand the 604 operation, purchase property, and build a soundstage and recording studio.
604’s first signings in 2001 were rock band Theory of a Deadman and harmony-driven pop band Marianas Trench, but over the years, the label has signed dozens of acts, including alumni Dallas Smith, My Darkest Days, Faber Drive, Armchair Cynics, Jakalope, Mauvey, Thornley, and Tommy Lee. The 2024 roster includes Jepsen, Marianas Trench, Coleman Hell, Mitch Zorn, JoJo Mason, the Jins, Andrew Hyatt, and many more.
Journalist Karen Bliss spoke with Simkin about 604 Records, how it started, and where it is today.
You had once told me that you started 604 at the worst point in history. How so?
Not the worst point in history; the worst point in history to start a label. We didn’t know when we started it because what happened was we started the label, and then Napster happened [the file sharing platform, launched in 1999]. We’ve got Theory of a Deadman signed, right as the first album we ever put out as a label was about to come out [2002], we’ve got to deal with the fact that nobody’s buying records anymore. So that’s why it was the worst time to start a record label.
You were a lawyer, which obviously takes a lot of commitment. Why add label to your already busy life?
I guess that’s my nature. I’ve always been somebody who likes a new challenge. I’ve always been someone who likes to try something I’ve never tried before. Again, just my nature. Plus, when we started it, I had no idea — and I don’t think Chad did either — that it was going to grow into what it grew into. In fact, when we started the label, we had very modest goals and very modest expectations.
I had read that book about David Geffen [2000’s The Operator by Tom King]. Chad and I had both been very aware that Geffen had sold Geffen Records for like $5 billion or something ridiculous [$550 million USD]. We were two young guys, who were pretty naive in a lot of ways, and we were going to find one or two bands and then sell the thing for millions of dollars. That’s what we thought.
What was the conversation with Chad? Who brought up the label idea?
Chad and I had already been working together on developing acts in Vancouver for a while. That was something we had already been doing for a couple of years. It started with Default, or at least Default was the first band that the two of us worked on together that actually got a record deal and actually succeeded. It certainly wasn’t the first band Chad and I had worked on together.
Very typically, he would find a band locally and he would get into the studio with them and I would get a phone call as I was his lawyer. “Hey, buddy, I need a contract. I’m working with such and such band. I have a deal with them. If I get them a deal, I get x percent,” whatever it was, and I would put the paper to that.
Default was the first one that actually worked and when they signed to TVT, a bunch of light bulbs went off in my head right away because I was thinking, “Geez, if we had done that a little bit differently, if we had structured that a little bit differently, we would have been in a position to make much more money” because Default was a simple shopping agreement. “Hey, if we get you a deal, we get x percent of your advance.” And that’s what happened.
But, that’s what started my brain going, “Well, geez, if we had signed them to a production agreement where we had three records, for example, then we wouldn’t have just been selling off one record. We would have been selling off three records.” Fast forward, maybe a year later, we meet Tyler Connolly from Theory of a Deadman at a party.
Was Chad key to the launch of the label? Do you think it would’ve been as successful without his name and involvement?
Absolutely not. No, it would not have been. That was crucial because Nickelback was becoming the biggest band in the world at that moment in time. That was a big part of it. So, yes, it was absolutely crucial to the big launch.
Your first signings were Theory of a Deadman and Marianas Trench. How did you convince these two talented acts to sign with an upstart?
With Theory, it just was very natural. They were big fans of Nickelback. We all got along really well right from the beginning. It wasn’t really a matter of us having to pursue them. They were aware that we were starting this new thing and I think they were very excited.
Marianas I was their lawyer. The thing with Marianas is that they had a big buzz and they had done a lot of really interesting showcasing. For example, we showcased for Jimmy Iovine at Interscope, we showcased for Andy Slater at Capitol. Somebody from Elektra flew up to Vancouver. So, they were pretty hot. But the thing is, none of those showcases worked out. This was before 604 existed. It was one of those things where all these big labels are too stupid to see how great this band is, so with a label, I can decide. Because the band had been through all these showcases, and because we had such a good relationship, when I started 604 with Chad, it just seemed very natural to bring them on board.
So here’s a label owned by a lawyer and an artist. Artists are sometimes afraid of corporate types, so having an artist involved probably helped alleviate some of that.
Yeah, there’s definitely an element there. Like, I’m a lawyer, but I don’t think I’m a typical lawyer and I’ve always gotten along really well with artists. And the fact that Chad was part of a band that was becoming one of the biggest bands in the world, I don’t think that hurt either. And, also, there’s a certain personal touch to us that you just didn’t have with a major. I mean, majors are huge corporations. We were a small company. It was basically two dudes, in a small office in Vancouver, and for some people that was a much-preferred way to go, than something more impersonal, like a big corporation.
Did you have an A&R policy?
We’ve never had a policy on that. We don’t have one now; we didn’t have one then. We’ve always signed stuff that we like. In the beginning, him and I, the only agreement we had was that we both had to approve something. We both had to say that we liked it.
And so, with Marianas, I remember playing it for him and his reaction was, “I don’t know, dude, like, they sound like the Foo Fighters meet the Beach Boys.” And I said, “Yeah, exactly. Exactly” and we laughed. He said, “Yeah, okay, I get it. Let’s do it.” That was about it [laughs].
It seems, and correct me if I’m wrong, that at some point Chad stepped back from being so visible with 604. Is that accurate? And if so, why?
Yes and no. He’s still very involved. And so, I’m not sure I agree. Really, the reality is that he was touring all the time. He was on the road all the time. He just didn’t have time in the day.
So it was not like, “Hey, I need to step back from this.” It was more just he wasn’t around. In the early days; Nickelback would go on the road for like a year and if I needed him for something, I absolutely could call him. There was never an issue with that. He was never like, “Dude, I’m too busy.” He was always there when I needed him to be there. You’re right that I was a busy guy; he was busier. He was in the middle of his band blowing up all over the world.
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” — which was co-written with Marianas Trench singer Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe — was an unexpected success. What was its impact?
2013 was really the year that it completely blew up. And, yeah, it changed the label forever in many ways. I mean, financially, it changed things for us. Culturally, I suppose, on some levels, it changed things for us.
It allowed you to buy a new building, add labels, a studio, and soundstage.
The first new thing we did with Light Organ [Records], that would have been about 10 or 11 years ago. We recently had the 10th anniversary of Light Organ. That was a bit of a reaction to the Nickelback hate syndrome. There was so much animosity being directed at Nickelback that I was having trouble with certain types of bands. Alternative bands really were snubbing us and it was largely because of the Nickelback thing. That was a problem, especially since I love alternative music so much and that was something that I really didn’t want to give up on. I talked to Chad about it. He was great about it. “Dude, I’m having trouble here because I’m having bands who won’t even talk to me because of the link to Nickelback.” And he understood that and he was great about it. We both kind of rolled our eyes a little like, “oh God, now we have to spend money to start a new website” and dadadadada. But that was Light Organ.
The comedy label [Comedy Here Often?] started about seven years ago. Again, that was just a natural offshoot. One of our producers was doing a lot of comedy records and it just got my brain going, “Why aren’t more comedians putting more money and effort into their records?” and that was the beginning of Comedy Here Often?
Intraset was a pandemic thing. That’s our ambient label. That was a function of all the time I was spending alone in my office listening to ambient music. And it just got my brain going about the possibilities of doing that kind of a label.
The studio was when after “Call Me Maybe,” we bought that facility and we put in a studio. And yes, we’re mostly using it for our own bands, but we try to make it a bit of a business as well.
Present day 604, what does that look like?
It’s grown into quite a big company. At least big, compared to where I ever imagined it would be. We have between 40 and 50 employees, if you include all the contractors and interns. It’s definitely in the range of 50 people. And it just continues on. I’ve taken a little bit of a step back from the A&R side. I’m old now and I want my young people in the company to be signing bands. I mean, I’m still signing artists and I still am interested in that, but I’m also very interested in looking backwards too now.
