Razor & Tie

Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles and Nashville), Razor & Tie releases were distributed by Universal Music Group.

Razor & Tie initially focused on compilation albums and re-issues. Directly marketed through television spots, the label had early success with 70s, 80s and 90s-themed albums, beginning with Those Fabulous 70s in 1990. A retail label was launched in 1995 to release new albums from established and developing artists, including Dar Williams, Graham Parker and Marshall Crenshaw. Razor & Tie continued to expand their rock signings, and by 2016, with releases by artists including The Pretty Reckless, Starset, All That Remains and Red Sun Rising it had become a leader in the genre.

In 2001, Balsam and Chenfeld created Kidz Bop, a series of albums with young singers covering pop hits. As of 2016, Kidz Bop had sold more than 16 million albums, 22 of which debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard charts, Kidz Bop holds the title for the most Top 10 debuts of any artist in this century. Releases on Razor & Tie have cumulatively exceeded sales of 45 million physical and digital albums, singles, videos and DVDs.

A music publishing division was founded in 2007, and in 2014 Razor & Tie launched Washington Square Records, an alternative leaning label. In 2015 Concord Bicycle acquired an undisclosed percentage of Razor & Tie, which now operates as New Razor & Tie Enterprises LLC, a joint venture. Concord fully acquired Razor & Tie on January 17, 2018. As of May 2018, Razor & Tie became an imprint of Concord Music's Fearless Records label.