Jonathan Poneman

Everything Jonathan Poneman said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.

HOW I BUILT THIS Insight

Poneman: Running Sub Pop was easier broke than funded

“In some ways it was much easier to run the label with no money than it became when we had some money.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 1:07:17 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Disclosure

Poneman: Warner deal proceeds went directly to the founders, not Sub Pop

“Similarly, the deal was done with Bruce and myself, singularly. It was not done with SubPop, so the money went directly to Bruce and myself.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 1:08:37 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Contradicted

Poneman: Sub Pop pioneered direct COD retail sales for US indie labels

“And at the time, independent record labels weren't doing this in the United States. We all figured that we needed to have a relationship with a distributor to get our records into the stores. But Bruce and I picked up the phone, and we decided to start selling…”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 33:28 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Not checkable as stated

Poneman: Kurt Cobain regularly insisted Nirvana should sell a million records

“Kurt would Tell me regularly. We should be selling a million of these. And I'd be going, you don't understand, you know.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 52:54 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Not checkable as stated

Poneman: Post-Nirvana, we paid $150k for bands that previously cost $2k

“Well, there were bands who, before Nirvana had their explosive success, we would have signed for 2000 dollars. In one particular case, I signed one of those bands for 150,000 dollars.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 1:15:23 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Prediction Not checkable as stated

Poneman: 'Grunge' as a cultural gestalt will outlast the era's bands

“There are few things that I think are going to stand the test of time than the word grunge. I think a lot of these bands will long be forgotten, but that word grunge and the Style, and time, and gestalt. You know, everything that it summons will stay.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 37:29 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Not checkable as stated

Poneman: Krist Novoselic demanded a recording contract by banging on Pavitt's windows

“One evening, Chris Novoselic went over to Bruce's house and started banging on the windows, demanding a recording contract.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 46:13 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Supported

Poneman: The Postal Service's 'Give Up' is Sub Pop's second best-selling album

“Second best-selling.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 1:18:46 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Disclosure

Poneman: Invested $10,000 in childhood savings bonds to fund Sub Pop

“There were savings bonds. And there was around nine or 10,000 dollars.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 25:06 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Disclosure

Poneman: Early Sub Pop funding relied on pitching personal connections on hype

“Bruce and I basically hit up everybody we knew for money at one point or the other, and it was a business proposition that was driven by hype.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 27:53 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Opinion

Poneman: Mudhoney remains Sub Pop's ultimate flagship house band

“Mudhoney ended up becoming, and still is to this day, the ultimate, or the flagship, or they're the sub-pop house band.”

Jonathan Poneman Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 31:33 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

The other half of the tape: Jonathan Poneman's own voice is left out of every number here. Other people bring the name up 4 times in 4 episodes across the shows. 3 statements on the record name them. every mention, with the transcript →

Who brings them up most Guy Raz 4

Statements about Jonathan Poneman, by other people (3)

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Supported

Pavitt: Nirvana shopped their 1990 Butch Vig sessions secretly to major labels

“So we sent Nirvana there in 1990, I believe it was May. They were supposed to record their next album, and that tape wound up being a demo that got shopped to Majors, unbeknownst to myself and John.”

Bruce Pavitt Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 53:50 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Disclosure

Pavitt: Firing four key employees triggered departure and co-founder estrangement

“The firing of four employees that I thought were very valuable to the company, and I was very traumatized by that. I was very, I can't even put it into words, but . I couldn't process that, and I was very upset, and I think that was really what led to our estr…”

Bruce Pavitt Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 1:11:21 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

HOW I BUILT THIS Assertion Not checkable as stated

Pavitt: Sub Pop signed Nirvana using a 20-cent photocopied library contract

“John's true genius was to go to the library and photocopy a generic contract, use a little whiteout, and for you know, 20 cents worth of copies, we were able to get a contract with Nirvana that is essentially the reason why we're talking to you today.”

Bruce Pavitt Jun 1, 2020 ▶ 47:08 Sub Pop Records: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman

Every mention by year

One line per show, most statements first. The link opens Jonathan's full record on that show: the calibration, argument clarity, speaking style and every statement made there.

Show	Role there	Eps	Statements	Record
HOW I BUILT THISLEDGER	Co-Founder and Co-Owner, Sub Pop Records	1	11	50% 1/2	full record on How I Built This →