Civilians (record label)


Civilians is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 2013 by co-managing directors Leigh Grupetta and Stu Harvey in partnership with Martin Goldschmidt, Civilians was originally known as Cooking Vinyl Australia.
After eleven years operating as Cooking Vinyl Australia, they unveiled a new name in September 2024, one that removed any lingering confusion about their connection with Martin Goldschmidt's lauded U.K. label Cooking Vinyl.
Civilians boasts a diverse roster including the likes of Fanny Lumsden, Emma Donovan, King Stingray, Eliza & The Delusionals, Windwaker and Luca Brasi and supplies label services to various partners, including Thirty Tigers, Run For Cover, Resist, Greyscale and Dine Alone.

History

After working together at Shock records, Leigh Gruppetta and Stu Harvey founded Civilians in 2013, in a partnership with Martin Goldschmidt, the London-based Cooking Vinyl Group Founder & CEO.
In 2016, Civilians launched a music publishing division based in Sydney, Australia. Reporting directly to Goldschmidt, Cooking Vinyl Publishing is a standalone company overseen by Matthew Donlevy, the former managing director of Peermusic.
In 2018, Civilians partnered with Sony Music Australia with Sony making "a significant investment" in the Indie label. As part of the arrangement, Cooking Vinyl Australia's recordings would be distributed globally through Sony's distributor and label services company The Orchard.
"We are thrilled about what the future holds as we enter this next phase of the business" - Leigh Gruppetta, The Music Network, 2018
From 2022 - 2024 Civilians signed numerous Australian acts including the likes of Melbourne/Naarm based band CIVIC, alternative rock band, Jebediah, and latest signing, The Southern River Band.
After eleven years as Cooking Vinyl Australia, the Melbourne-based label launched a rebrand, unveiling a new name and look to remove any confusion regarding their association with Cooking Vinyl UK. Now known as Civilians, the independent label continues to grow with new signings said to be on the horizon.
“It's a new name, a renewed focus but the same us,” says Gruppetta of Civilians, in a statement. “We remain committed to everything that has driven our growth over the past 11 years.”

Label partners

Civilians works with a variety of international and domestic label partners to release and promote music in Australia and New Zealand. These include:

Current