Zip Records
Zip Records is an independent label started in 1997 by president Arthur Herman, operating from San Francisco, California and Amsterdam, Netherlands (relocated/expanded to Amsterdam in 2013). From inception to today it has released roughly 125 titles — about half licensed, half owned masters — distributed in the US/Canada via Sony/RED and in the Benelux via PIAS/Rough Trade.^[raw/articles/ziprecords-nl-about.md]
Why it matters to the Hammond story
Zip is the Dutch-to-American conduit for the new Hammond funk wave: Dutch Hammond funk quartet The Pulitzers (fronted by Frank Montis) released their album Honk Honk on Zip Records in 2023, plugging the Rotterdam band into the same international circuit as the acid-jazz revival documented on hammondbeat and Colemine.^[raw/articles/flophouse-the-pulitzers-honk-honk.md] The label's wider roster leans retro-soul and guitar-pop, making it a niche but steady home for organ-led grooves outside the big indie system.