Drag City was formed in 1989 when Koretzky, who was working for a record distribution company in Chicago, contacted the band
Royal Trux, after hearing
their first album, with the offer of releasing a single.
Hero Zero was soon followed by
Demolition Plot J-7, the second release by
Pavement. Walker described releasing the album on the indie label as "an experiment". Booth was also a member of Chestnut Station. In 1997, Drag City began publishing printed works such as the literary magazine
The Minus Times and
Neil Hagerty's novel
Victory Chimp. The label distributed the 2013 documentary
The Source Family. After years of refusing to release its artists' music on streaming platforms, the label finally made its music available for streaming via Apple Music in July 2017. In April 2018, they made their catalog available on the streaming platforms Spotify, Tidal, and Google Play. ==Roster==