Looking Back on 30 Years of Sub Pop Records

As record label Sub Pop turns 30, we survey the highs and lows of their history.by Sean NelsonAfter 30 years, Sub Pop Records has become as emblematic of Seattle culture as Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft—only without the corporate baggage that sometimes makes those companies feel like enemies of freedom.Against the odds, the label has thrived. How? Who knows? They signed a diverse array of interesting artists, they kept their scale reasonable, and they turned self-deprecation into a shre