Wohnzimmer Records

Wohnzimmer Records is an independent Austrian record label based in Vienna. It was founded in 2002 by Kerstin Breyer, previously Head of Marketing at BMG Ariola Austria, and Lelo Brossmann, a musician known for his work with acts such as Heinz aus Wien. The label's name — literally "living room" in German — was chosen deliberately to signal its do-it-yourself, independent character, in contrast to the major-label machinery its founders had experienced from the inside. The label's first release was the album "An seinen Stiefeln klebte Brot" by the band Zuka, issued in 2002 with the catalogue number WOHN001. Zuka became the label's first signing after drummer Philipp Wesener played the song "Kult" to Brossmann, an encounter that convinced the founders to finally launch the label they had been discussing since the late 1990s. In 2004 Peter Winkler joined as a new partner. Wohnzimmer Records operates with three stated principles: signing decisions are based solely on whether the founders like the music, with no economic considerations; the label must not become their sole source of income, so that the first principle remains possible; and the label aims to work as fairly as an indie and as professionally as a major. This positioning places it firmly in the Austrian independent music scene while maintaining major-label production standards. Over the years the label has built a roster spanning alternative rock, pop, punk and cabaret-influenced music. Its artists include Kreisky, Austrofred & Kurt Razelli, New Wellness, Willi Landl, EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung), Kristoff, The Boys You Know, Destroyed But Not Defeated, A Life, A Song, A Cigarette and Petsch Moser. The label has also handled digital reissues, including making large parts of EAV's back catalogue available digitally for the first time. Beyond its core record label business, the Wohnzimmer brand has expanded into related service areas: Wohnzimmer Promotion and Wohnzimmer Interactive, which extend its activities into promotion and digital/interactive work. The label sells its releases directly through its online shop alongside its artists and about pages, and it remains an active, privately held independent operation headquartered in Vienna.

Wohnzimmer Records grew out of conversations between Kerstin Breyer and Lelo Brossmann during the late 1990s. Both had long been deeply involved in the music industry: Breyer most recently as Head of Marketing at BMG Ariola Austria, and Brossmann as a musician, including with the group Heinz aus Wien. Their mixed experiences inside the major-label system motivated them to build something of their own, and the longer the 1990s went on, the more concrete the idea of founding their own record label became. What they still lacked was the right band to set the project in motion. That changed in 2001. Drummer Philipp Wesener, who played with Brossmann in a band, played him the song "Kult" by his other group, Zuka. Brossmann was enthusiastic from the very first bar, and when Breyer heard the demo cassette of the song she felt the same. Zuka became the label's first signing, and the founders chose the name Wohnzimmer Records — German for "living room" — to underline the do-it-yourself character of the enterprise. From the outset the two operators established three principles that remain valid today. First, the decision whether to sign a band depends solely on whether they like its music; economic considerations play no role. Second, Wohnzimmer Records must not become their sole livelihood, because otherwise the first principle would no longer be possible. Third, their aspiration is to work as fairly as an independent label and as professionally as a major label. In April 2002 the label released Zuka's debut album "An seinen Stiefeln klebte Brot" with the catalogue number WOHN001, accompanied by the single "Kult". This marked the formal beginning of the label's release history. In 2004 Peter Winkler was brought on board as a new partner, broadening the label's operational base. Over the following years Wohnzimmer Records built a roster that reflects the founders' tastes rather than market calculations, spanning alternative rock, pop, punk and cabaret-influenced music. Artists associated with the label include Kreisky, Austrofred & Kurt Razelli, New Wellness, Willi Landl, EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung), Kristoff, The Boys You Know, Destroyed But Not Defeated, A Life, A Song, A Cigarette and Petsch Moser. The label has also undertaken digital reissue work, notably making large parts of EAV's back catalogue available digitally for the first time. The Wohnzimmer name has since extended beyond the record label itself into Wohnzimmer Promotion and Wohnzimmer Interactive, reflecting a broader service orientation around music promotion and digital/interactive activities. The label continues to operate as an independent, privately held Austrian company headquartered in Vienna, selling its releases directly through its own online shop.

• 2004

  Peter Winkler joins as a new partner.

• 2002

  Wohnzimmer Records is founded by Kerstin Breyer and Lelo Brossmann; first release Zuka's "An seinen Stiefeln klebte Brot" (WOHN001) appears in April.

• 2001

  Drummer Philipp Wesener plays Zuka's song "Kult" to Lelo Brossmann, convincing the founders to launch their label.

Independent Austrian label aiming to operate as fairly as an indie and as professionally as a major, with signing decisions driven purely by musical taste.

• 2002

  Zuka – An seinen Stiefeln klebte Brot

• 2002

  Zuka – Kult

• Austrofred & Kurt Razelli – Sanfte Krieger

• Kreisky – ADIEU UNSTERBLICHKEIT

• New Wellness – Pillow Talk Poems

• Willi Landl – Lederjackenjunge

• EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung) – back catalogue digital reissues

• Kristoff

• The Boys You Know

• Destroyed But Not Defeated

• A Life, A Song, A Cigarette

• Petsch Moser

1. 1Wohnzimmer Records official websitewohnzimmer.com
2. 2Wohnzimmer Records | About uswohnzimmer.com
3. 3Wikidata Q21281485wikidata.org
4. 4Wohnzimmer Records – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org