True Tone Records
True Tone Records was an Australian independent-oriented record label founded by Michael Crawley in the mid-1980s and backed and distributed by PolyGram.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
True Tone Records was an Australian record label established by Michael Crawley in 1985. Crawley was an English expatriate who had previously worked as the A&R Director of PolyGram Records. The label operated with financial support from PolyGram, which also distributed its releases, while giving Crawley considerable freedom to discover, sign, and develop artists. This arrangement placed True Tone in an unusual position: it had the resources and distribution reach of a major-record-company relationship, but was presented as a vehicle for the founder's own A&R judgment and artist development. The label's recorded output was closely associated with Australian rock, pop, alternative, and singer-songwriter music of the 1980s and early 1990s. Its early activity included Gang Gajang, whose single "Gimme Some Lovin'" was released in 1984, followed by the albums Gang Gajang in 1985 and Gang Again in 1987. True Tone also became connected with The Go-Betweens. Although the band signed with Beggars Banquet Records in the United Kingdom and did not record an album specifically for True Tone, the Australian label handled local releases for Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express and The Able Label Singles. Rockmelons were another important part of the roster. True Tone issued the group's early singles, including "Time Out (For Serious Fun)," "Sweat It Out," and "Rhymes," and released the band's debut album, Tales of the City, in 1988. After vocalist Peter Blakeley departed Rockmelons, True Tone signed him as a solo artist and released the 1987 mini-album Vicious. The label also supported the solo career of Ed Kuepper, formerly of The Saints, issuing Rooms of the Magnificent in 1986 and Everybody's Got To in 1988. Stephen Cummings joined the label in 1987 and released a sequence of albums through True Tone, including Lovetown, A New Kind of Blue, and Good Humour. The broader roster also included The Celibate Rifles, Shooting School, Steeltown, and Clive Young, reflecting the label's interest in a varied Australian artist base rather than a single narrowly defined genre. True Tone's existence ended after a dispute concerning distribution. Following a three-year distribution arrangement with EMI, Crawley decided to move the label to another distributor. EMI objected and initiated court proceedings. Rather than allow the label to remain with EMI, Crawley sold its assets and closed the business. True Tone is therefore best understood as a historically significant but short-lived Australian label whose catalogue connected major-label infrastructure with locally focused artist development. In 2013, Crawley returned to label ownership by establishing Vienna People Recordings, a separate venture that signed Melbourne rapper L-Fresh the Lion.
History
True Tone Records emerged in Australia during the 1980s, a period in which local artists increasingly moved between independent labels, major-company subsidiaries, and international distribution arrangements. The label was founded by Michael Crawley in 1985. Before establishing it, Crawley had been an A&R Director at PolyGram Records and brought major-label experience to a venture that retained a strong focus on discovering and developing Australian performers. PolyGram financially backed True Tone and distributed its releases, but Crawley reportedly received broad discretion over the label's signing and development decisions. This structure allowed True Tone to operate with substantial industry support without functioning simply as a conventional major-label imprint. Its releases covered a range of Australian rock and pop acts, and the label's catalog became associated with artists who were active in the country's alternative and contemporary music scenes. The chronology of the label's activity begins with Gang Gajang. True Tone released the group's single "Gimme Some Lovin'" in 1984 and followed it with the albums Gang Gajang in 1985 and Gang Again in 1987. The 1984 single predates the stated 1985 founding date in the available reference material, so the relationship between the label's formal establishment and its earliest release is not fully clear. Gang Gajang nevertheless represents one of the label's principal early artist relationships. In 1985, True Tone signed The Go-Betweens, but the group did not record material for the label. It subsequently signed with the British label Beggars Banquet Records. True Tone still played a role in the Australian market by issuing local releases of the band's fifth album, Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, in 1986, and The Able Label Singles in 1987. This illustrates that the label's activities included both direct artist releases and territory-specific distribution or release arrangements. True Tone developed a substantial relationship with Rockmelons. It issued the group's early singles, including "Time Out (For Serious Fun)," "Sweat It Out," and "Rhymes," and released the debut album Tales of the City in 1988. When vocalist Peter Blakeley left the group, True Tone signed him as a solo performer and released his 1987 mini-album Vicious. The label also signed Ed Kuepper, known for his work with The Saints, and issued his second and third solo albums, Rooms of the Magnificent in 1986 and Everybody's Got To in 1988. Stephen Cummings joined the roster in 1987. His True Tone album sequence included Lovetown in 1988, A New Kind of Blue in 1989, and Good Humour in 1991. The roster further included The Celibate Rifles, Shooting School, Steeltown, and Clive Young, indicating that the label was not built around one artist or one commercial format. The company's final phase centered on distribution. After a three-year arrangement with EMI, Crawley decided to transfer the label to a different distributor. EMI objected and took the matter to court. Crawley ultimately chose to sell the label's assets and close True Tone rather than leave it with EMI. The available reference does not specify the court's outcome, the buyer of the assets, or the exact closure year. This unresolved distribution episode brought the label's operating history to an end. Crawley later returned to the record business. In 2013 he founded Vienna People Recordings and signed L-Fresh the Lion, a Melbourne-based rapper. Vienna People Recordings was a separate venture rather than a continuation of True Tone Records. True Tone's historical importance rests on its concentrated period of activity, its PolyGram-supported but founder-directed model, and its role in releasing and distributing work by a notable group of Australian artists.
- 2013
Crawley launches Vienna People Recordings
[1]Michael Crawley established a separate label, Vienna People Recordings, and signed L-Fresh the Lion.
- 1991
Final listed Stephen Cummings album
[1]True Tone released Stephen Cummings' Good Humour, the latest dated release identified in the reference material.
- 1988
Rockmelons debut album
[1]True Tone released Rockmelons' debut album, Tales of the City.
- 1987
Gang Again released
[1]True Tone released Gang Gajang's second album, Gang Again.
- 1987
Stephen Cummings signs with True Tone
[1]Stephen Cummings joined the label, beginning a run of albums that continued into the early 1990s.
- 1986
Ed Kuepper solo catalog begins
[1]True Tone released Ed Kuepper's solo album Rooms of the Magnificent.
- 1986
Australian Go-Betweens release
[1]True Tone provided the Australian release of The Go-Betweens' Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express.
- 1985
Label founded
[1]Michael Crawley founded True Tone Records after working as an A&R Director at PolyGram. PolyGram provided financial backing and distribution while Crawley directed the label's artist development.
- 1985
Gang Gajang debut album
[1]True Tone released Gang Gajang's self-titled debut album.
- 1985
The Go-Betweens join the roster
[1]The Go-Betweens signed with True Tone, although they did not record for the label and later moved to Beggars Banquet Records.
Products and positioning
An Australian artist-development record label combining Michael Crawley's independent A&R direction with PolyGram financial backing and distribution.
Artist catalog · 1984
Gang Gajang
True Tone's Gang Gajang catalog included the early single "Gimme Some Lovin'" and the albums Gang Gajang and Gang Again. These releases formed one of the label's earliest documented artist programs and demonstrate its focus on developing Australian bands through both singles and full-length albums.
Artist catalog · 1985
Rockmelons
True Tone released several Rockmelons singles, including "Time Out (For Serious Fun)," "Sweat It Out," and "Rhymes." The label also issued Tales of the City, the group's debut album, making Rockmelons one of the central acts in True Tone's late-1980s roster.
Mini-album · 1987
Vicious
Vicious was a 1987 mini-album by Peter Blakeley released by True Tone after he left Rockmelons. It represents the label's willingness to continue working with performers beyond their initial group context and to support a transition into solo recording.
Artist catalog · 1986
Ed Kuepper solo albums
True Tone issued Ed Kuepper's second and third solo albums, Rooms of the Magnificent and Everybody's Got To. Kuepper's association connected the label with a prominent Australian post-punk and rock songwriter and broadened its catalog beyond mainstream pop acts.
Artist catalog · 1988
Stephen Cummings albums
Stephen Cummings released Lovetown, A New Kind of Blue, and Good Humour through True Tone between 1988 and 1991. The sequence is one of the label's longest documented album relationships and demonstrates its continued support for established Australian singer-songwriters.
Territory release · 1986
The Go-Betweens Australian releases
Although The Go-Betweens did not record for True Tone, the label handled Australian releases for Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express and The Able Label Singles. These releases show True Tone operating as a local-market release partner as well as a direct signing label.
Brand decisions
- Change of distribution arrangementsOther
Background
After a three-year distribution arrangement with EMI, Michael Crawley decided to move True Tone Records to another distributor.
Action taken
Crawley pursued a new distribution arrangement, prompting EMI to object and take the label to court.
Aftermath
Rather than leave the label with EMI, Crawley sold True Tone's assets and closed the business. The available reference does not identify the court's outcome or the exact closure date.
Sources1 sources
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