Brett Gurewitz talks about Epitaph, industry, more

Billboard has posted a detailed interview with Epitaph founder Brett Gurewitz. The article focuses on the label rather than Bad Religion, and allows Brett to provide some insight into both the running of an independent label and the realities of the music industry.

In the interview, he reflects on the ways in which the music industry has changed:

We truly had a niche then. We were Southern California hardcore. That's what we called it. The way to be an indie back then was to have a sound and a niche. That's what we had to do. Nowadays, sounds and niches are like an automatic shuffle in Vegas. A new niche is new every three weeks, so we have to stay on top of everything.

He also explains the struggles he has when dropping bands:

I thought if I signed a band, I had to keep putting out their records. But the truth is, you take a shot because you believe in a band, but you have to sell records to keep your lights on.
If you believe in them and you do your best to try, and if for whatever reason you can't make a go of it-end up being in the black with the band-then you're not doing you or the band any favors. You're only keeping them from getting a square job, and you're weakening your company.

He also describes DRM as "frustrating" and describes the situation with the Offspring, both before their success and after their rather public departure.

You can check out the entire story here.