Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory to Merge With Dead Oceans

The Secretly Group imprint will no longer operate under its own name following a trademark dispute

June 16, 2026

Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory imprint is being rolled back into its parent label, Dead Oceans, following a trademark dispute. According to a brief statement posted to Instagram on Sunday, June 14, all releases by Saddest Factory artists will now come out through Dead Oceans.

No information is provided in the statement as to the origins of the dispute, though there is a duo called Saddest Factory based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who describe themselves as “the culmination of two intensely imaginative men and their need for self expression.”

Since its inception in 2020, Saddest Factory has put out records by Claud, Sloppy Jane, Charlie Hickey, Muna—plus Muna’s lead singer, Katie Gavin—and Jasmine.4.T. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Saddest Factory (the band) as well as Secretly Group, the label collective that houses Dead Oceans, for further comment.

Read Hattie Lindert’s new concert review, Going Analog at Phoebe Bridgers’ Phones-Free MSG Show.

Walden Green is a music writer and cultural critic who joined Pitchfork in 2024. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, his work has appeared in Dirt, The Fader, and Philadelphia. He lives in New York. ... Read More