Epitaph & Anti- Partner With AMPED for US Physical Distribution


‘AMPED, the indie distribution division of wholesale giant Alliance Entertainment, has entered an agreement to serve as the U.S. physical distributor for veteran punk rock label Epitaph and its sister imprint, Anti-.

The pact began on Oct. 1, with Epitaph and Anti- ending a longstanding distribution partnership with ADA/WEA. The pair of labels have since moved over 1,000 releases to AMPED.

Brett Gurewitz and Andy Kaulkin, respectively, have built Epitaph and Anti- into two of the most respected and seminal independent labels, championing what being an indie label is all about”, said Dean Tabaac, head of AMPED Distribution, in a statement. “AMPED’s ability to quickly and continually supply brick and click outlets large and small with Epitaph Records and Anti- records impressively diverse roster will help fans find their artist wherever they shop. It is the core of who we are and we are elated that they feel the same way.”

As Billboard previously reported, AMPED’s parent, Alliance, receives about $400 million of its $775 million in revenue from CDs and vinyl. It sells to approximately 1,800 indie stores, as well as chains like Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Meijers and Dillards, and provides vendor management of CDs for Walmart.

Built off the likes of Bad Religion, Rancid and The Offspring, Epitaph’s roster features numerous punk standbys alongside younger acts like Bring Me the Horizon, The Interrupters and The Menzingers. Anti-, founded in 1999 to host a more eclectic range of sounds, currently works with artists like Neko Case, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Ben Harper.’

(This article was written by Chris Payne and originally appeared on Billboard.com on 10/18/2019.)