Civilians

Civilians is an independent record label and music-services company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The business was established in 2013 by Leigh Gruppetta and Stu Harvey, who had previously worked together at Shock Records, in partnership with Martin Goldschmidt, the founder and chief executive of the United Kingdom-based Cooking Vinyl Group. For its first eleven years, the company operated under the name Cooking Vinyl Australia. The label developed a broad Australian roster spanning alternative rock, punk, metal, indie, country and contemporary music. Artists associated with its domestic activities include Jem Cassar-Daley, Ceres, Jenny Mitchell, Luca Brasi, Parkway Drive, King Stingray, The Southern River Band and Windwaker. The label also signed or added artists such as Melbourne band CIVIC, alternative rock group Jebediah and Perth rock band The Southern River Band during the period from 2022 to 2024. In 2018, Cooking Vinyl Australia entered into a partnership with Sony Music Australia, under which Sony made a significant investment in the independent label. The arrangement also provided for the label's recordings to receive global distribution through The Orchard, Sony's music-distribution and label-services company. This relationship strengthened the company's ability to combine independent-label identity with broader international distribution capabilities. In September 2024, the company introduced the Civilians name and a new visual identity. The rebrand followed eleven years of operation as Cooking Vinyl Australia and was intended to reduce confusion with Martin Goldschmidt's separate United Kingdom label, Cooking Vinyl. Management presented the change as a renewal of the brand rather than a change in its underlying values or operating model. Civilians continued to operate as an independent Australian label while maintaining a focus on artist development, local releases and international partnerships. In addition to releasing music from its own roster, Civilians provides marketing, distribution and related label services in Australia and New Zealand for domestic and international partners. Its partner network has included Thirty Tigers, Run For Cover Records, Counter Intuitive Records, Blue Grape Music, Equal Vision Records, SO Recordings, Greyscale Records, Dine Alone Records, Bargain Bin and Wax Bodega. In September 2025, Civilians announced a partnership with United States independent label Equal Vision Records to represent Equal Vision's roster in Australia. Civilians therefore occupies two related positions in the Australian music market: it is a curator and operator of an artist roster, and it is a regional infrastructure partner for independent labels seeking promotion, marketing and distribution in Australia and New Zealand. Its business combines local repertoire with services for international labels, while its post-2024 identity separates the company more clearly from the Cooking Vinyl brand in the United Kingdom.

Civilians was founded in Melbourne in 2013 by Leigh Gruppetta and Stu Harvey, former colleagues at Shock Records, together with Martin Goldschmidt, the London-based founder and chief executive of the Cooking Vinyl Group. The company initially operated as Cooking Vinyl Australia and used that identity to develop an Australian-facing independent-label business connected to the broader Cooking Vinyl network. During its first decade, the company built a varied domestic roster rather than concentrating on a single genre. Its associated artists have included Jem Cassar-Daley, Ceres, Jenny Mitchell, Luca Brasi, Parkway Drive, King Stingray, The Southern River Band and Windwaker. The label also expanded its roster in the 2022–2024 period through associations with acts including CIVIC, Jebediah and The Southern River Band. This range positioned the business across alternative, rock, punk, metal, indie and contemporary Australian music. A significant structural development came in 2018, when Cooking Vinyl Australia partnered with Sony Music Australia. Sony made a significant investment in the independent label, while The Orchard, a Sony subsidiary specializing in music distribution and services, became the global distribution channel for Cooking Vinyl Australia's recordings. The arrangement gave the company access to a larger international distribution system without removing its independent-label operating identity. The company also developed a label-services operation alongside its own artist roster. It has handled marketing and distribution in Australia and New Zealand for a range of domestic and international partners, including Thirty Tigers, Run For Cover Records, Counter Intuitive Records, Blue Grape Music, Equal Vision Records, SO Recordings, Greyscale Records, Dine Alone Records, Bargain Bin and Wax Bodega. This work made the company a regional partner for independent labels that required local release coordination, promotion and distribution. In September 2024, after eleven years as Cooking Vinyl Australia, the business adopted the Civilians name and introduced a new visual identity. The change was designed to eliminate continuing uncertainty about the company's relationship with the separate Cooking Vinyl label in the United Kingdom. Management described the move as a new name and renewed focus while retaining the principles and operating approach that had supported the business since its creation. Civilians continued expanding its partnership activity after the rebrand. In September 2025, it announced an agreement with United States independent label Equal Vision Records to represent Equal Vision's roster in Australia. The arrangement illustrates Civilians' continuing role as both an Australian record label and a local-market services provider for overseas independent companies. Its history is consequently defined by three connected strands: domestic artist signing and release activity, strategic distribution relationships, and regional marketing and representation services for independent music partners.

• 2025

  Equal Vision Records partnership

  [1]Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org

  Civilians announced that it would represent Equal Vision Records' roster in Australia.

• 2024

  Rebrand to Civilians

  [1]Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org

  Cooking Vinyl Australia adopted the Civilians name and a new visual identity after eleven years under its former name.

• 2022

  Expansion of the Australian artist roster

  [1]Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org

  The company added or signed further Australian acts during the 2022–2024 period, including CIVIC, Jebediah and The Southern River Band.

• 2018

  Sony Music Australia investment and distribution partnership

  [1]Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org

  Sony Music Australia made a significant investment, and The Orchard became the global distributor for the label's recordings.

• 2013

  Company founded as Cooking Vinyl Australia

  [1]Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org

  Leigh Gruppetta and Stu Harvey founded the Australian operation in partnership with Martin Goldschmidt of the Cooking Vinyl Group.

An independent Australian record label and regional music-services partner combining a diverse domestic artist roster with marketing, distribution and representation for independent labels in Australia and New Zealand.

• Record-label releases · 2013

  Recorded-music releases

  Civilians releases and supports recorded music from a broad Australian roster. The associated repertoire spans alternative rock, punk, metal, indie, country and contemporary music, with artists including Jem Cassar-Daley, Ceres, Jenny Mitchell, Luca Brasi, Parkway Drive, King Stingray, The Southern River Band and Windwaker.

• Marketing and distribution · 2013

  Label services

  The company provides marketing, distribution and related label services in Australia and New Zealand for independent domestic and international partners. Its partner network has included Thirty Tigers, Run For Cover Records, Counter Intuitive Records, Blue Grape Music, Equal Vision Records, SO Recordings, Greyscale Records, Dine Alone Records, Bargain Bin and Wax Bodega.

• 2024Civilians rebrand

  Australia · New Zealand

  The company introduced the Civilians name and a new look after operating as Cooking Vinyl Australia for eleven years. The rebrand was intended to distinguish the Australian business from Cooking Vinyl UK.

  Outcome. The company continued operating under the Civilians identity while retaining its artist-roster and label-services activities.

  Source

• 2025

  Represent Equal Vision Records in AustraliaM&A

  Background

  Equal Vision Records required an Australian market partner for its roster.

  Action taken

  Civilians announced a partnership to represent Equal Vision Records and its artists in Australia.

  Aftermath

  The partnership expanded Civilians' role as a regional representative and services provider for international independent labels.

  Source

• 2024

  Adopt the Civilians brandStrategy

  Background

  The Cooking Vinyl Australia name could create confusion with the separate United Kingdom Cooking Vinyl label.

  Action taken

  The company launched Civilians as its new name and visual identity.

  Aftermath

  The business continued its existing artist and label-services operations under a more distinct Australian brand.

  Source

• 2018

  Enter a strategic partnership with Sony Music AustraliaStrategy

  Background

  Cooking Vinyl Australia sought to strengthen its ability to distribute recordings internationally while maintaining its independent-label position.

  Action taken

  The company accepted a significant investment from Sony Music Australia and moved global distribution of its recordings to The Orchard.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement connected the Australian label's repertoire to Sony's international distribution and label-services infrastructure.

  Source

1. 1Civilians (record label)en.wikipedia.org