604 Records Co-Founder Jonathan Simkin Launches 'I Hate Simkin' Podcast

It's no secret that Jonathan Simkin is outspoken, and now he has a new megaphone.

The president and co-founder of 604 Records launched a brand new podcast last week (May 16) titled I Hate Simkin. The podcast will tell inside stories of the music industry and feature conversations with influential artists and figures who have helped shape the Canadian music industry over the last 25 years.

The podcast's title is drawn from an infamous "I Hate Simkin" t-shirt that Nickelback member Mike Kroeger reporteldly wore to the MuchMusic Video Awards. Kroeger is the first guest who sits down with Simkin in the podcast's first season, while other episodes will feature veteran booking agent Ralph James and record and publishing executive Michael McCarty (now of Kilometre Music Group).

Simkin is a veteran in the game, having played a key role in the careers of local Canadian talent like Marianas Trench, Carly Rae Jepsen, Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman and Coleman Hell.

I Hate Simkin speaks to the executive's reputation within the Canadian music industry, where he is known for his blunt honesty, ruthless feedback and an unrelenting passion for music. Simkin recently investigated and critiqued the neighbouring rights royalties system in Canada in a guest column for Billboard Canada, diagnosing the Canadian music industry with a condition known as Unnecessary Middleperson Syndrome.

His new podcast continues in a similar way, shining a light on label politics, creative clashes, near-disasters and more through raw conversations with music personnel.

"You're going to learn some pretty interesting things about what goes on behind the scenes in the music business, how it works — and by that I mean how it really works — when you're behind the scenes," he says in the podcast's trailer. "Not just things like 'how do you make a hit?' but even all the petty, s--ty kind of stuff."

The first episode with Kroeger, titled "Why Nickelback Got Hate for Being Too Popular," is out now. It dives into the story behind the "I Hate Simkin" slogan, the comparative dynamic between Nickelback and Three Doors Down and chaos in the music business, from label politics to Twitter (X) pile-ons.

"You're going to hear all sorts of weirdo gossip spoken by old f--ks in the music industry like me," Simkin says.

I Hate Simkin is available on major streaming and podcasting platforms, with new episodes releasing bi-weekly via the 604 Podcast Network. The next one is scheduled to drop on May 30.