With the development of the turntable, 33 rpm records became a new item to consumers, and recorded music began to spread across the country. During the “Jazz Age”, Tom Kat Recordings stood out from the rest with its popular “Tom Kat ” cartoon character, who looked like he had been out all night on the prowl.

Unlike the corporate brand names of the time such as RCA Victor and Columbia, Tom Kat Recordings was an independent label, and had limited distribution in the Midwestern United States. As the Great Depression began to take root in the early 1930’s, music sales dropped off and King was forced to shut down the studio doors to Tom Kat Recordings in 1931.

80 years later in 2007, James Hamilton King’s grandson Thomas J. King revived the label, after a brief stint as partner in a Los Angeles-based record company, and a successful career in radio. King decided to carry on the family tradition with Tom Kat Records, showcasing up and coming independent music.

Tom Kat Records started off with a handful of artists, such as alternative rockers Cage9, as a part of a deal with his former partner. The label’s first original artist came from the signing of Icelandic rockers Dust.

In 2008, multimedia company Digital Syndicate Network (DSN), purchased a controlling interest in Tom Kat Records, to compliment their DSN Music roster of artists.

Tom Kat Records continues to carry on the independent tradition of new music, as inspired by James Hamilton King, and will continue as an innovator in new music in a new a millennium.