How much would you guess Nirvana received in advance of their first-year contract with Sub Pop? The answer is revealed on a scan of the original 1989 document, which earlier this week appeared on the indie label’s Tumblr.
In it, you can see that it’s a three-year agreement during which three full-length albums are to be produced. The first-year number: try $600. Heck, that’s like, over a grand in today’s money! Says Sub Pop, “Six hundred bucks well spent– not that we had it at the time.”
The success of their debut Bleach resulted in a transfer over to the larger DGC Records for Nevermind and In Utero. This coming September, the latter is set to receive its own 20th anniversary multi-format reissue, which will include a number of goodies depending on the format.