13th Planet Records

Lore & Background

13th Planet Records was launched in 2004 by Al Jourgensen, frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry. The label was conceived as an artist-run, artist-friendly independent venture, offering services beyond record releases, including artist management, touring coordination, music publishing, and access to a full-scale rehearsal and recording studio. It operated as a joint venture with Megaforce Records in the United States and Canada, with distribution handled by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution.

Reader's Guide

13th Planet Records served as a platform for Al Jourgensen and associated acts, releasing a substantial catalog of albums from Ministry, Revolting Cocks (RevCo), Prong, Ascension of the Watchers, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters, DethRok, False Icons, and ReVamp. The label's releases spanned from 2006 to 2013, including notable titles such as Ministry's 'Rio Grande Blood' (2006) and 'The Last Sucker' (2007), as well as various remix and cover albums. Its significance lies in providing a self-contained infrastructure for artists under Jourgensen's umbrella, combining creative control with practical industry services. The label's legacy is tied to the output of Ministry and its offshoots during a prolific period, though its operations appear to have ceased after 2013.

Did You Know?

• 13th Planet Records was founded by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen in 2004.
• The label organized the 2007 tour 'C U LaTouR'.

Founding & Business Architecture

13th Planet Records was established in October 2005 by Al Jourgensen, the frontman of Ministry, as an American independent record label. Far from being a simple imprint for pressing and shipping records, Jourgensen designed it as a multi-faceted operation that touches nearly every layer of the music business. The label oversees artist management, coordinates touring (with the 2008 'C U LaTouR' event as a standout example), runs a music publishing division, and houses a full-scale rehearsal and recording studio under one roof. For distribution in the United States and Canada, it operates as a joint venture with Megaforce Records, channeling releases through Sony Music Entertainment's RED Distribution network. This architecture let Jourgensen retain tight creative control while still tapping into major-label logistics, and it embodied the artist-driven, artist-friendly ethos that became the label's defining identity from day one.

The Artist Roster & Creative Family

The roster at 13th Planet reads like a who's-who of the industrial and extreme-metal underground, with most acts carrying a direct lineage to Jourgensen's own musical history. Ministry anchors the catalog, but the label also serves as a creative home for Revolting Cocks (RevCo), Prong, and a constellation of satellite projects. Ascension of the Watchers, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters, DethRok, False Icons, and ReVamp round out the roster, each bringing a distinct flavor to the label's sonic palette. Jourgensen himself also released material through the imprint, including the 2010 solo album 'Voices in My Head' and a 2009 single with Mark Thwaite titled 'It's Always Christmas Time.' The artist-friendly, artist-run philosophy suggests these groups enjoyed a degree of creative autonomy and a collaborative environment that a conventional major-label contract would rarely provide, making the roster feel less like a business arrangement and more like a creative family.

Release Catalog & Creative Output

Between 2006 and 2013, 13th Planet generated an impressively dense catalog that stretched well beyond standard album releases. The label's first year, 2006, delivered 'Cocked and Loaded' by Revolting Cocks and 'Rio Grande Blood' by Ministry. The pace quickened in 2007 with four titles, including Ministry's 'The Last Sucker' and Prong's 'Power of the Damager,' alongside remix and dub collections. The 2008 and 2009 windows brought an even wider spread: 'Cover Up,' 'God Complex,' 'Sex-O Olympic-O,' 'Adios... Puta Madres,' the 'Wicked' soundtrack, and a string of remix and dub compilations. Later entries such as Ministry's 'Relapse' (2012), 'From Beer to Eternity' (2013), and DethRok's 'Us & Them' (2013) show the label sustaining a steady creative output nearly a decade after its founding. The mix of full-length albums, singles, dub versions, remix sets, and a film soundtrack underscores the label's openness to unconventional formats.

Beyond the Studio: Touring, Publishing, and Infrastructure

What sets 13th Planet apart from a typical independent imprint is the sheer breadth of its operational footprint. In addition to releasing records, the label functions as a management company, a live-touring organizer, a music publisher, and the steward of a full-scale rehearsal and recording facility. The 2008 'C U LaTouR' showcase exemplifies its live-promotion ambitions, bundling multiple roster acts into a single touring package. The publishing arm implies the label also administers songwriting rights and catalog revenue, a layer many small independents simply lack. The in-house studio means artists can rehearse and record on-site without outsourcing to external facilities, cutting costs and preserving creative continuity. Paired with the Megaforce joint venture and the RED Distribution network, this infrastructure gave Jourgensen's circle a remarkably self-contained ecosystem where every stage of the music lifecycle, from composition through touring to publishing, could be handled under one roof.