Frontline Records

Frontline Records was a Christian record label founded in 1986 by James Kempner. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, dance-pop and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s, and then resurfaced in 2010 to re-release its music catalog, and that of related labels, digitally.

Background

Kempner had a background in concert promotion, and had run the New Years Eve Christian music festival series at Knott's Berry Farm, growing the event to one of the largest Christian events in the country before forming Frontline.

The label officially took flight by the signing of local bands from the Orange County, California area. In that first year, Frontline released 16 albums. In 1986, the company signed a distribution deal with Nashville-based Benson Records to tap into their extensive sales force and distribution through Zondervan Music. Frontline Records soon transitioned to Frontline Music Group (FMG) allowing the company to create different sub-labels to promote their growing and diverse roster of alternative, punk, dance, pop, rock, gospel, metal, rap and hip-hop artists.