Tiny Engines, one of the key record labels of the “emo revival” era that also branched out into indie rock, punk, and other styles of music, effectively shut down in 2019 after artists accused the label of breach of contract and/or other nonpayment issues, and co-founder Chuck Daley admitted to “years of delayed payments and accounting statements” in an interview with Billboard. Now, the label is back under “new management structure” with co-founder Will Miller as its sole owner. A new press release promises that “accounting is up to date and artists have been paid in full” and that “80% of [the label’s] masters ownership contracts have now been amended to licensing contracts. The other 20% should be completed by the end of 2023. This means masters will now be owned by the artists.”

Will says:

After leaving the day-to-day operations of Tiny Engines at the beginning of 2020, I was excited to come home last year to revive the label and return to our roots.

When the opportunity arose for me to acquire sole ownership of Tiny Engines the prospect of restoring the label was something I felt a responsibility to pursue. I am committed to making sure artists and their records are being cared for properly and treated with the required respect. I also want to ensure that artists are being paid what they are owed. I have spent the last year plus making sure all of this happens going forward.

To the artists and fans of the label, I am deeply sorry that it took so long to get to this point but we are finally here. We will work hard to reestablish Tiny Engines and be a positive force moving forward.

You the fan owe us nothing. We will seek to regain your trust in our actions as a label and in how we treat our artists. If you do not want to support Tiny Engines please continue to support the artists in any way you can.

Thank you.

Stay tuned for more news from Tiny Engines.