Dischord Records

"Dischord" redirects here. For similarly-named articles, see Discord (disambiguation).

Dischord Records
Founded1980 (1980)
FounderIan MacKaye
Jeff Nelson
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationWashington, D.C.
Official websitedischord.com

Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by their band the Teen Idles.[1][2][3] With other independent American labels such as Twin/Tone, Touch and Go Records, and SST Records, Dischord helped to spearhead the nationwide network of underground bands that formed the 1980s indie rock scene.[4] These labels presided over the shift from the hardcore punk that then dominated the American underground scene to the more diverse styles of alternative rock that were emerging.[5]

The label is most notable for employing the do it yourself ethic, producing all of its albums and selling them at discount prices without finance from major distributors.[6] Dischord continues to release records by bands from Washington D.C., and to document and support the Washington D.C. music scene.[7] As of October 2016, the label employs four people.[8]

Dischord was a local label in the early days of hardcore, and is one of the more famous independent labels, along with the likes of Alternative Tentacles, Epitaph Records, SST Records, and Touch and Go Records.[6]

The logo of the label was created by Nelson, who has an associate degree in advertising design.[9]

  1. ^ Azerrad 2001, p. 132.
  2. ^ Blush 2001, p. 138.
  3. ^ Heller, Jason (November 18, 2014). "Primer: Where to Start with the Righteous Noise of Dischord Records". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  4. ^ Dolan, Jon (January 2005). "The Revival of Indie Rock". Spin 21 (1): 53.
  5. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2006). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1-1012-0105-3.
  6. ^ a b Cogan 2008, p. 82.
  7. ^ Cogan 2008, p. 83.
  8. ^ Creative Time (October 25, 2016). "Creative Time Summit DC - Do It Yourself - Keynote: Ian MacKaye". Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2018 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Beaujon, Andrew (May 2003). "Out of Step with the World". Spin 19 (5): 86.