Cleveland International Records


Cleveland International Records is an independent record label formed in 1979 by Steve Popovich, Sr. originally founded in Willoughby, Ohio and moved to Nashville

History

One of the first albums the label released was Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf which has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. They have also released recordings by Ronnie Spector, B. J. Thomas, Slim Whitman and The Irish Rovers, among others.
After working in the Nashville industry for more than a decade, collaborating with the likes of Johnny Cash, Popovich Sr. moved back to Cleveland in 1994. A year later, he re-established the Cleveland International label with a focus on Polka music.
The label won a lawsuit in 2005 when Sony Music produced copies of the Bat Out of Hell CD without the Cleveland International logo. In 2007, a court ordered Sony to pay Cleveland $5 million.
With his estate finally settled, Popovich, Sr.'s son, Steve Popovich, Jr. revived the record label in late December 2018. Cleveland International Records will operate out of Nashville, but Popovich, Jr. said the goal will be to open an office in Cleveland down the road.