Jeepster Records is a London, England-based independent record label which is currently the home of bands Parka and SixNationState. The label is noted for having been the home of critically acclaimed artists Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol.
Jeepster Records was founded in 1995 by Mark Jones and Stefano D’Andrea. Their first signing, Belle and Sebastian, proved a success and enabled the label to sign other acts in following years, namely Snow Patrol in December 1997, Salako in 1998, Looper in 1999 and The Gentle Waves in 2000.
While Jeepster's acts, particularly Belle & Sebastian, received critical acclaim,[1] the label found themselves financially troubled and were not in a position to renew the contracts of its most successful artists in 2002.[2] This effectively put the label into a dormant state whereby they were unable to invest in signing new artists.
Jeepster continued to release material from their former acts whilst in this dormant state and in 2003 a Belle & Sebastian DVD entitled Fans Only was released followed in 2005 by a compilation, Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, containing Belle & Sebastian's EPs and singles. In early 2006, Jeepster re-released the two albums Snow Patrol recorded for the label, Songs for Polarbears and When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. The re-releases included bonus tracks which were not included on the original albums.
In April 2006, Jeepster announced its first new signing in years, SixNationState,[3] and soon after announced the signing of another band, Parka.
In November 2008, Jeepster released a new Belle & Sebastian compilation, The BBC Sessions. The album consists of tracks recorded for the BBC in 1996 as well as other Belle & Sebastian rarities.[4]