RIP EXCLUSIVE: Smartpunk Records Celebrates 25 Years
Labels come and go, but it seems a few will last forever. Smartpunk Records stands among this mysterious phenomenon, transforming several times over before becoming the powerhouse monolith we know it as today. Technically, they're on the bad side of 25 this year. However, they are fresher than ever before, considering 25 is young in human years but freaking geriatric in industry institution years. They're proof that questioning the status quo is the best way to do it. Label manager Matt Burns and label assistant Danielle Clark have the passion and knowledge to push Smartpunk forward, eventually transforming the industry as we know it similarly to how the label has done for itself.
"I think Smartpunk has set itself up in a way that allows for a wider audience for our label-signed artists and releases. In a digital sense, us being an online distro that carries everything from Slayer to Death Cab allows a vast majority of our customers to be keen to our artists’ releases and reissues, as well as exclusive variants that we do," suggests Burns.
Many mega-successful companies start with entirely different intentions, evolving over time as their impact transcends expectations. Smartpunk began humbly, distributing CDs to fans across the US.
Though personally far too young to peruse my parents' credit cards in the 2000s, my elder stepsibling certainly did. I would wait eagerly for Smartpunk orders to arrive, as I knew that as soon as she was done burning one onto her Zune, I'd get it. "So many of us remember Smartpunk as the website to buy your favorite underground band’s new record, or the stage at Warped Tour that Sonny Moore jumped off of. And that’s absolutely an integral part of who we are. Hell, I spent so much of my minimum wage money in the early 00’s buying CDs from Smartpunk," explains Burns.
My grandparents would take me to the flagship Amoeba store here in Berkeley, but there were some CDs they wouldn't let me have. To be fair, I was 10 years old requesting Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Cobra Starship, and Millionaires. However, this convenient loophole allowed me to enjoy records like While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets in peace. Plus, she stopped getting malware (you know the kind) on the family computer from LimeWire downloads once her mom allowed her to spend a few dollars on a CD instead. Those bands aren't nearly considered "underground" these days, but believe you me, they were when I was too young to understand a majority of Pete Wentz's slam poetry.
"I think it’s always important to celebrate all music, all the time. No one knows when a legacy record will become a legacy record, so I think understanding that being there in the moment for music now is the best time to live it. Celebrate the songs and albums and releases by artists, go to the shows, buy the merch. You could be living part of the legacy and you don’t even know it," affirms Burns.
So, sure, Smartpunk holds the "record label" title thanks to their in-house roster of cool, sonically diverse artists. However, they've stuck to their roots in terms of distribution. You can still trust Smartpunk with your favorite record of all time. They're repressing 2 of mine in 2025 and I get giddy just thinking about it. It's a full-circle moment, thinking of the CDs of olde that got me to this point in the first place.
"That company had been bought and sold a few times before our current owners took over. It wasn’t until 2015 when the label had its first releases and they had popped up in Atlanta for Wrecking Ball that the Smartpunk of today became a reality. So honestly, it being our 10th-ish year being this label is still an incredible and exciting thing to celebrate. And really, so much of being involved with the music industry is the love of the craft, since there’s so many nightmares to often deal with, and we only have our bands and friends we’ve made along the way to thank for that," he continues.
"Although there's been 25 years of the Smartpunk namesake, 2025 marks 10 years of this team releasing reissues and signing bands under Smartpunk Records. It's not lost on me how iconic the Smartpunk name is, and I'm lucky to get to be a part of this iteration of it," agrees Clark.
There is a hard line between fan service and genuine care in these instances. A money-hungry Smartpunk would haphazardly reissue a record in the same bare-bones fashion that it was initially pressed just to see it flying off the shelves knowing the impact it has on fans. Instead, they're doing this as fans of music and collectors who equally wish their favorite record got its flowers when it was released.
"This started as a selfish way for *us* to get our favorite titles on vinyl for the first time and has led to some amazing collaborations we have been able to do with bands. We also partner with other labels to do exclusive variants of titles put out by them, and have formed a community of independent labels putting out some cool nostalgic shit!" suggests Clark. "Because of all of this we are really able to support artists on our label roster and release their music in whatever ways fit their vision, without constricting them to certain formats or rules, and get to put out their music on vinyl for the first time as well."
Smartpunk is continuing its legacy by helping the artists that shaped them continue and preserve theirs. Their fan-first approach showcases an empathetic side to a previously cold industry. "From the packaging to the unique color of the variants, we hope to make records that are memorable and exactly what a fan or collector would want," explains Clark.
Keep up with Smartpunk Records and upcoming drops here.
