There’s a conversation I have with visiting international record buyers at least once a month. They come into the shop looking for King Gizzard pressings, and I end up spending an hour talking about the label behind them. Because the Flightless Records story isn’t just about one band — it’s about how a small Australian label can compete with anyone in the world on quality, creativity, and sheer volume of output.

The Origin Story

Eric Moore started Flightless in Melbourne around 2012. He was drumming for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the time, and the label grew directly out of the band’s need to release music on their own terms. That’s a common enough story — plenty of bands start labels. What’s uncommon is what happened next.

Rather than staying a vanity label for one act, Flightless quickly expanded to sign other Melbourne artists. The Murlocs, Pipe-eye, ORB, Leah Senior, Traffik Island — the roster grew into a genuinely diverse collection of musicians, all connected by a certain psychedelic, adventurous sensibility.

Why the Vinyl Matters

What sets Flightless apart from most Australian labels is their obsessive commitment to the physical product. Every Flightless release feels considered. The artwork is always striking, often hand-finished or printed with special techniques. The vinyl itself is pressed to a high standard, typically at Zenith in Melbourne, with colour variants that feel like part of the artistic vision rather than a marketing afterthought.

I’ve been selling Flightless records since their early days, and the quality has been remarkably consistent. Quiet surfaces, accurate pressings, good weight vinyl. When a customer asks me which label they can trust for pressing quality, Flightless is always in my first two or three recommendations.

The Business Model

Here’s what I find most interesting about Flightless: they’ve built a sustainable business by doing things the industry said couldn’t work. Direct-to-consumer sales through their website. Limited but not artificially scarce pressings. Fair wholesale pricing for retailers. Transparent communication about release dates and stock levels.

They also understood the global market early. International distribution deals meant that Flightless records were available worldwide, which in turn made the Australian pressing the “original” that collectors wanted. Smart. Very smart.

The Polygondwanaland experiment in 2017 — where King Gizzard released the masters for free and let anyone press it — was a masterstroke that most labels would never have the confidence to try. It generated enormous goodwill, got the band’s name in front of audiences who’d never heard of them, and the Flightless pressing still sold out instantly.

The Broader Impact

Flightless showed other Australian labels that you could be independent, quality-focused, and commercially viable simultaneously. You didn’t have to choose between artistic integrity and paying your bills.

I’ve spoken to people at other Australian labels — Poison City, Chapter Music, Rice is Nice — and they all acknowledge the Flightless influence. Not in terms of sound or aesthetics, but in terms of proving that an Australian indie label could build a global following through quality product and genuine artist care.

The label also played a huge role in legitimising vinyl as a format for new Australian music, not just reissues and imports. Before Flightless (and a handful of others), getting a vinyl release as a new Australian band was genuinely difficult. Now it’s expected, and that shift in expectation has been good for everyone.

Where They Are Now

Eric stepped away from touring with King Gizzard to focus on the label full-time, and the results show. The release schedule is steady, the roster is strong, and the physical product remains excellent.

Recent signings suggest Flightless is continuing to expand while staying true to their aesthetic. They’re not trying to be everything to everyone. They’re a label with a clear identity, and artists and fans know what to expect.

For Collectors

If you’re looking to start a Flightless collection, the good news is that most of their catalogue is in print and available at retail prices. The early King Gizzard pressings on Flightless command premiums on the secondhand market, but current releases are accessible.

My suggestion: start with whatever sounds interesting to you and don’t worry about completing the catalogue. The joy of Flightless is in the individual records — each one is a distinct experience.

I stock as much of the Flightless catalogue as I can, and I’m constantly recommending titles from their roster to customers who come in asking for “something Australian and interesting.” It’s the easiest recommendation I make.

This is what an independent label looks like when it’s done right. Melbourne made this, and Melbourne should be proud of it.