Punk bands have a long history of creating their own music labels, because for a very long time major labels had little interest. As lead singer Fat Mike told Clevescene, in the 1980s a punk band that could sell 10,000 records was a massive success — but that translated into very little money. As he succinctly puts it, "In the '80s, nobody could make a living."
NOFX signed with indie label Epitaph Records, co-founded by Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz, in the late 1980s and stayed with the label until the late 1990s, releasing many albums now considered NOFX classics. As noted by Consequence of Sound, in 1990, lead singer Fat Mike and his then-girlfriend Erin Burkett launched their own music label, Fat Wreck Chords. It was initially a hobby of sorts, and neither Burkett or Mike thought it would last two years.
Thirty years later, Fat Wreck Chords is a legendary label and a successful business, known for bands like Lagwagon, Against Me!, No Use for a Name — and NOFX. Yes, Fat Mike signed his own band away from Epitaph Records in 2000, and they've released their last six albums on the label.
One reason Fat Wreck Chords has been successful is their unusual business model. As writer Fletcher Smith notes, Fat Wreck Chords purposefully inks one album deals with their bands, which allows bands to start fresh and capitalize on their successes more nimbly — or leave the label if they're unhappy.
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