Epitaph Records - Wikiwand
Early years (1980s)
Brett Gurewitz formed Epitaph Records as a vehicle for releases by his band Bad Religion.[2] The name had been taken from the King Crimson Cold War protest song "Epitaph" from which the lyrics "Confusion will be my epitaph." had struck a chord with Brett and Greg when they were young.[3] Its first release for the label was Bad Religion's 1981 self-titled EP, followed by their debut How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, which was also the label's first full-length release. Also released during this period was Peace thru Vandalism, an EP by the Vandals, who were the first band besides Bad Religion to sign to Epitaph. Two more Bad Religion releases followed – Into the Unknown and the EP Back to the Known – before their temporary split. After Gurewitz had cleaned up his drug issues, both Epitaph and Bad Religion were revived in 1987. In the following year, Epitaph released its first record as a proper label, which was L7's self-titled album, and it was distributed by Chameleon. Also in 1988, Bad Religion released Suffer, which was both released and distributed by Epitaph.
In 1989, Gurewitz signed NOFX to Epitaph. They released their debut for the label, S&M Airlines, that same year, featuring the video for its title track and the cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way", which featured guest vocals by Gurewitz and Greg Graffin, also a member of Bad Religion. This was followed by Bad Religion's next two albums – No Control and Against the Grain – which sold 60,000[4] and 100,000[5] copies respectively.
Breakthrough success (1990s)
By 1993, more punk acts had signed to Epitaph, and the label relocated to new offices in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.[2]
Although Bad Religion was the founding band of Epitaph, releasing their early records through the label, they switched over to Atlantic in 1993, with Recipe for Hate being their first record outside of the label. Brett Gurewitz is thought to have left Bad Religion as a result of internal disputes, but actually left the band in 1994 so he could run Epitaph full-time.
Change in style (2000s)
In 2001, Brett Gurewitz returned to Bad Religion, and the band returned to Epitaph Records,[6] releasing seven more albums, the latest being Age of Unreason (2019).
In mid-2005 Epitaph was added to the official list of RIAA members[7] along with several other high-profile independent labels. The reason for the listing is not clear, but one source points to an agreement for internet P2P distribution.[8] Another source claims label management joined RIAA to get certified sales awards (i.e., official "Gold" or "Platinum" record status) for releases. This sparked some controversy as some feel they should no longer be labeled independent if they are a member of the RIAA.[9] However, the only source that has actually been used for these claims of membership is the official RIAA membership list, which has been disputed.[7] As of this writing, not only is Epitaph listed as an official member but Lookout! Records is once again listed, after being falsely listed before. In addition, Fat Wreck Chords has released statements denying their own involvement in the RIAA, condemning the organization.[10]
Recent years (2010s)
Epitaph signed Weezer in 2010, the label releasing Hurley later that year. The label signed Social Distortion in the same year.[12] Epitaph signed Australian punk band Dangerous! in 2011 and released album Teenage Rampage. Epitaph had also signed the Canadian punk rock band Propagandhi. The label has also been more active in signing bands from the emo revival including The Menzingers, Joyce Manor, Pianos Become the Teeth, Defeater, the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, and Touché Amoré.