Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created to sell Bad Religion records, but has grown into a large independent record label. Throughout the 80s and 90s most of the bands on Epitaph were punk and pop punk groups, while it is now primarily made up of post-hardcore and emo bands. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid.
In 1981, Bad Religion recorded a self-titled EP, which was the first release for Epitaph. Three follow-ups ensued – How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Into the Unknown and the EP Back to the Known – before their temporary split. In 1988, Epitaph released its first record as a proper label. It was the band L7's self-titled album, and it was distributed by Chameleon. The first album that was both released and distributed by Epitaph was Suffer by Bad Religion. In 1994, Epitaph received widespread fame, both within and outside the punk community, when NOFX, Rancid and The Offspring all released hit records. This was a big year for punk in the mainstream. their album Smash lived up to its name and quickly became Epitaph's all time best selling album, with more than 11 million units sold worldwide to date.
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. In 2003, Epitaph sparked some controversy among its fans by signing post-hardcore acts as well as alternative hip hop artists such as Atmosphere and Sage Francis and grindcore band The Locust, leading to debates about what constitutes the true nature of "punk" music. This has caused much criticism and scrutiny within its punk base
In mid-2005 Epitaph was added to the official list of RIAA members[2] 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.[3] Another source claims label management joined RIAA in order 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
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