Here's an article Rick wrote for openingbands.com on the history of Twelve Inch Records:
Back in the early nineties there were some really great bands in Champaign but no one wanted to put out their records. Rose and I decided we should do something about it. My original concept was to start a label called Ten Inch Records and only put out 6-song EPs on 10" vinyl but no one seemed very excited about the idea. Vinyl was on its way out and bands wanted "real" albums on those new-fangled compact discs. I'm not sure why we called the label Twelve Inch Records since the first six releases weren't released on 12" vinyl either. I guess it was supposed to be ironic.
TIN001: Hum - Fillet Show (1991)
Andy Switzky was our roommate at the time. He had previously been in the bands Tugrik Dhugugrik and Obvious Man and had formed a new combo named Hum with Matt Talbott, previously of We Ate Plato. After a series of bass players and drummers, the lineup was filled out by Baltie De Ley (former Bad Flannel member and future Mother/Menthol founder) on bass and Bryan St. Pere on the drums and cymbals. They spent some time at Clubhouse, the world's smallest studio, with Kent Whitesell (currently in the Greedy Loves) and came out with nine golden greats. Matt's high school pal Darren pitched in some cash; we pitched in the rest and Twelve Inch Records was open for business. This being the era before affordable computerized graphic design, something got messed up with the color separations and what was supposed to be lovely oxblood lettering on the cover turned out bright fuschia; the first of many "learning experiences" with the label. If I remember correctly, the CDs (and cassettes!) arrived while Poster Children were on tour, so I recruited my mom to ship out promo copies of the record right away instead of waiting until the tour was over. People who heard the record liked it and Hum started playing shows outside of the greater Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area. Fillet Show sounds quite a bit different from the rest of the Hum catalog (Andy sings lead on three tracks) but you can hear inklings of the future in some of the songs. I'm not sure if Matt wants you to hear this record but the next time you see him, ask him for a copy; he's got a couple hundred cassettes of this baby that he picked up when we cleared out our basement a couple of years ago.