Deupree founded 12k on January 1, 1997, based on the name of the first Arc album, 12k. On the name 12k:
| “ | It first came about when Savvas and I named our first Arc CD (on kk records) 12k. We did so because all of the sequencer files for the tracks on the album ended up having file sizes of 12k. It was an intriguing and mysterious title..so we took it for the album. A year later, when i was thinking of label names, I couldn't get 12k out of my head. I was looking for a name that was abstract and technical-sounding, yet at the same time mysterious and would make people wonder what it was about. It was also very important that it had to be easy to say, look good on paper, and be able to be understood and pronounced by virtually anyone in the world, no matter which language they speak. 12k fit all of those requirements. | ” |
12k publishes what Deupree refers to as microscopic-sound music, which features super-synthetic sounds, and minimal compositions. 12k also has two sub-labels: Line, which was started as a collaboration with Richard Chartier in September 2000, focuses on ultra-minimal digital ambience, and Happy, begun in September 2003, aims to give Japanese pop artists more exposure outside of Japan.
Early productions by 12k were limited to between 500 and 1,000 units, partially because of limited storage space, and also because the small edition size increased the collectability of the albums. Since around 2001, editions became less limited but still started at between 1,000 and 2,000 copies.
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