Concert Buddie | Richard Foos - The Godfather of Modern Vinyl Reissues

Buddies! I'm back with another interview on Vinyl Community Podcasts, this time speaking with Richard Foos—the influential founder behind Rhino Entertainment and co-founder of Shout! Studios. Sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Modern Reissues", the work from Richard's companies has been instrumental in the current "golden age" of vinyl, and have inspired reissue labels we know and love like Light in the Attic (LITA), Sundazed Music, and the folks in Salina, KS at Analogue Productions. 

In this reflective interview, Foos shares the incredible journey from opening the original Rhino Records store in Westwood, Los Angeles in 1973 to building one of the most influential reissue labels in music history. From preserving lost music and comedy albums to pioneering deluxe box sets, archival releases, and collector culture, Richard Foos helped shape how generations of music fans experience physical media. With Rhino, he set a standard for quality and bonus essays, lost tracks, features, etc. that music fans have enjoyed for decades. 

Topics include:

• The origins of his connection to music
• The early days of Rhino Records, the record store
• Building the reissue label and store through a couple "happy accidents"
• Legendary Rhino projects involving The Monkees, Ramones, James Brown and MORE!
• What goes into curating a reissue choice? from licensing to consumer desire to personal preferences
• Launching Shout! Factory and expanding into film and television preservation
• Why curation, community, and storytelling still matter
• What does he think of the "vinyl resurgence" of the past two decades?
• Moving away from the boardroom and into philanthropic projects like The Narrative Method and Volunteer Collective
• Did Dave Grohl "license" his name to when naming the Foo Fighters?

 

This conversation is essential listening for vinyl collectors, music historians, physical media enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the business and culture behind record collecting.

 

Often imitated, never duplicated, please join us for another fine interview courtesy of Vinyl Community Podcasts!

 

🦏 ⬇️ 🦏 ⬇️ 🦏 ⬇️ 🦏 ⬇️

 

For most on guest Richard Foos - Founder of Rhino Records, Shout! Factory, Radial Entertainment, etc. -

Rhino Records: https://www.rhino.com

IG: @rhino_records

Shout! Factory: https://www.shoutstudios.com

IG: @shout_studios

Radial Entertainment: https://www.radialentertainment.com

IG: @radialent

 

Philanthropic Initiatives:

Chair of The Narrative Method: https://www.thenarrativemethod.org

The Volunteer Collective: https://volunteer-collective.org

 

 

For more on host Concert Buddie:

https://www.youtube.com/@ConcertBuddie

https://concertbuddie.com

IG: @concertbuddie

 

For more information on Vinyl Community Podcasts:

https://vinylcommunitypodcasts.com

 

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