Label Bio

“We were really passionate about the independent rock scene, but record labels didn't really seem to be taking notice of what was happening in it.” Janick explains. “We said, ‘We like these bands, these bands all work hard, why not try and get this music out to people?’” Kicking off with the now highly sought-after Chinese takeout sampler cassette compilation, Fueled By Ramen began unleashing a series of limited edition 7-inch singles as well as fulllengths from indie combos like The Hippos and The Impossibles. Headquartered in Janick’s dorm room, the label spread the word in classic grassroots fashion: via hard-working bands and mail-order sales.

In 1998, Fueled By Ramen released a self-titled EP from Jimmy Eat World, a five-song collection that proved a breakthrough for both the label and the Arizona-based band. With increased distribution demands and a rise in radio play, Fueled By Ramen set up its first real office space that same year. In 2002 the label experienced yet another turning point when it released Yellowcard’s The Underdog EP, a seminal release that’s widely regarded as the artistic breakthrough that preceded the Jacksonville band’s mainstream success. The following year, Fueled By Ramen released Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave. “I instantly knew there was something special about that record and knew that everyone would love it if we could just get it into their hands,” Janick says.

“For two years we pounded the pavement, selling the record,” he adds. “Most labels would’ve given up, but we just kept on pushing it. We went from selling 500 records a week, to 1000, to 1500 to 3000 records a week. By the time we put out the next Fall Out Boy record, we were at 225,000 records. We had built this great base for the band, helping to launch what’s now a multi-platinum career.” At the heart of Fueled By Ramen is the close relationship between the artists and the label; Janick has long viewed the label as an integral part of the creative process, making Fueled By Ramen a fully collaborative environment where bands participate in all aspects of their identity, every step of the way from recording to marketing.

“Our job is to help bands get their creative vision out there,” he says, “We try to be involved in every step of the process in order to help them express their vision and make sure that we can get that across to the fans.” As a result, Fueled By Ramen has become more than just a record label; it has spawned an integrated community where the lines between artists, employees and fans are difficult to discern. The www.fueledbyramen.com site has become a hub for the label’s online community, directing fans to sites like MySpace and Facebook, where their bands have an active presence, as well as FBR+ - the Fueled By Ramen video streaming site. “It was the kids that really helped build this into a community,” Janick says. “The cool thing about our fans is that they feel a real connection with what we do, and really want to support our bands and the label.”

In 2004, Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz introduced Fueled By Ramen to fellow Chicago rock outfit The Academy Is… who released their acclaimed debut album Almost Here, the following year. Soon thereafter, Janick joined forces with Wentz to create Decaydance Records and released a series of albums from a disparate-sounding group of acts ranging from the alternative hip-hop of Gym Class Heroes to the indie-pop combo The Hush Sound. In September 2005, Decaydance and Fueled By Ramen released A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, the RIAA platinum-certified debut album from Las Vegas’ Panic! At The Disco.

Correspondingly, 2006 proved to be the most extraordinary year of Fueled By Ramen’s 10-year history: Among the high-water marks were Panic! At The Disco’s international rise to stardom; the label’s then biggest-ever first week sales with Cute Is What We Aim For’s debut album The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch; popular breakthroughs from Paramore and Gym Class Heroes and the #1 Top New Artist debut from Cobra Starship.

Amazingly, as Fueled By Ramen embarks on its second decade things look even more promising. In 2007 the label opened an office in midtown Manhattan and that same year Paramore’s album RIOT! debuted in the Billboard Top 20, was certified gold and is currently nearing platinum status. Even more recently, the band participated in a co-headlining tour with Jimmy Eat World, bringing the label’s history full-circle. “Paramore is a very important band to me and the label,” Janick explains. “They had the time to find out who they were and we helped amplify this to the kids naturally,” he adds. “We worked together paying attention to every detail and taking the right steps at the right time. They have become very successful and we are very proud of them.”

The same can be said of Panic! At The Disco’s sophomore effort Pretty. Odd., which debuted at number #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, selling over 139,000 copies its first week and making it the fastest-selling album in the label’s history. “Panic is a phenomenon; we knew the debut was going to do very well, but it moved a lot quicker than expected,” Janick admits. “I think we have built an amazing home for artists and the people who work at the label are remarkably creative. We want to continue to break new artists and take our current artists to new levels. My goal is to always make Fueled By Ramen a better company and to continue to find new ways for fans to connect with our artists and label.”

2008 saw a #1 Top New Artist debut for The Cab, full-length releases by superstars such as Cute Is What We Aim For, Gym Class Heroes and The Academy Is... as well as the incredibly ambitious Razia’s Shadow: A Musical – the 13-song musical written by Thomas Dutton of Forgive Durden featuring a cast of special guests including Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, Max Bemis of Say Anything, Chris Conley of Saves The Day and Greta Salpeter of The Hush Sound.

So far in 2009, Fueled By Ramen has released albums from This Providence, The Friday Night Boys and Cobra Starship along with EPs from VersaEmerge, The Cab and The Swellers. Fueled By Ramen’s first soundtrack was released in August. The music counterpart to the film starring Megan Fox, Jennifer’s Body features new music from Panic! At The Disco, Cobra Starship, All Time Low and Dashboard Confessional. Full-length albums from Paramore, The Swellers and A Rocket To The Moon are expected later this year.

August 25, 2009