Bad Religion

What Bad Religion does

Bad Religion is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1980, operating as a privately held entertainment entity. The band releases recorded music through Epitaph Records, a label founded by its own guitarist Brett Gurewitz, and has produced over 20 studio albums across a 40-plus-year career, with the most recent referenced release being "Age Of Unreason" (2019). Its core product portfolio spans new and back-catalog album sales, streaming distribution, live touring performances at festivals and venues worldwide, and direct-to-consumer merchandise sold through badreligion.store. In August 2020 the band expanded into publishing with its first official autobiography, "Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion," co-authored with Jim Ruland and distributed across hardcover, e-book, and audio formats through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Audible, and other major retailers.

The output is principally an intellectual, socially and politically conscious brand of punk rock, anchored by four principal members, Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, Jay Bentley, and Brian Baker, who have maintained creative continuity for over four decades. The underlying technology stack is minimal and standard for a music act: a Squarespace-hosted website, Mailchimp for email and SMS fan communications, YouTube for video content, and the found.ee / ffm.to smart-link infrastructure for streaming aggregation. There is no proprietary technology product, no software platform, and no AI or data science capability disclosed.

The business model is a diversified entertainment revenue stack: (1) recorded music sales and streaming royalties, monetized through Epitaph and global streaming platforms; (2) touring and live performance ticket revenue; (3) direct-to-consumer merchandise and music sales through the official online store; and (4) one-time book sales across major retail and audiobook platforms. Customers are individual punk rock fans and music biography readers globally, with no enterprise or B2B channel. No pricing is publicly disclosed, and the band operates with 1-10 listed members and no external funding, remaining an independent, catalog-driven, touring-anchored entertainment business.

Name

Bad Religion

Website

https://badreligion.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bad Religion is a 40-year-old American punk rock band that releases albums through Epitaph Records, tours internationally, sells merchandise direct-to-consumer, and in 2020 expanded into publishing with its first autobiography. It serves global punk rock fans, biography readers, and memorabilia collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recorded Punk Rock Music

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Record Production and Distribution (51225)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE)

Keywords

• Punk rock music
• Recorded music albums
• Live concert tours
• Band merchandise sales
• Music autobiography publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Music Sales and Streaming: Revenue from album sales through Epitaph Records and streaming platforms. The band has released over 20 studio albums since 1982.
2. Book Sales: The band published their autobiography 'Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion' in August 2020, sold through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Audible, and other retailers.
3. Merchandise Sales: Direct merchandise sales through their online store (badreligion.store) including apparel and music-related products.
4. Touring and Live Performances: Revenue from concert tickets and live performances at festivals and venues around the world.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that creates, records, and distributes recorded music (over 20 studio albums released since 1982 via Epitaph Records), performs live concerts internationally, sells branded merchandise through their own online store, and publishes related media including the 2020 autobiography 'Do What You Want'. Their commercial offerings span physical and digital music, video content, live performance tickets, apparel/accessories, and books.

Product overview

Bad Religion is a punk rock band offering a unified portfolio of products centered around their recorded music. The core offerings include a catalog of over 20 studio albums (such as Suffer, No Control, Against The Grain, Generator, Age Of Unreason), music videos, live touring performances, official merchandise through their store, and published books including the 2020 autobiography 'Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion'. Albums are distributed through Epitaph Records and available via the band's website and external retail platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Albums Bad Religion's recorded music catalog spanning over 20 studio albums across their punk rock career, including releases such as Suffer (1988), No Control (1989), Generator (1992), and Age Of Unreason (2019). Sold via Epitaph Records and streaming platforms.
• Music Videos Music videos, lyric videos, and performance footage including titles like '21st Century (Digital Boy)', 'Emancipation Of The Mind', 'Chaos From Within', and 'Age Of Unreason' Mini Documentary. Distributed via YouTube and official website.
• Live Concert Tour Concert performances and touring activities at music festivals and venues worldwide, with tickets and event information listed on the official tour page.
• Official Band Merchandise Official band merchandise including apparel, accessories, and music-related items available through the band's direct-to-consumer store at badreligion.store.
• Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion The first autobiography written with full cooperation and support of the band, covering their 40-year career in hybrid oral history/narrative format and featuring the four principal members Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, Jay Bentley, and Brian Baker. Sold via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Audible, IndieBound, Libro.fm, and Premier Collectibles (signed editions).

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Premier CollectiblesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 August 2020Premier Collectibles offers signed editions of the band's autobiography 'Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion'.
• Jim RulandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2020Jim Ruland is the co-author of 'Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion', the band's official autobiography published in August 2020.
• Epitaph RecordscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEpitaph Records is Bad Religion's record label, founded by Brett Gurewitz. The label has released the majority of the band's discography since their early years. All albums on the band's website are tagged as Epitaph Records releases.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Green Day: Bay Area punk rock band formed in 1987 with a comparable multi-decade career, festival headlining status, and catalog depth, though operating at a substantially larger commercial scale than Bad Religion. Same core category but broader mainstream reach.
• The Offspring: SoCal punk rock band formed in 1984, near-contemporaries of Bad Religion with comparable longevity, festival headlining status, and punk rock catalog depth. Both operate as touring-first bands with multi-decade careers and broad merchandise operations.
• Descendents: SoCal punk rock band formed in 1978 with a similar career length and genre. Comparable in audience, label history (Epitaph-affiliated releases), and touring-first business model, though with a more sporadic release cadence.
• Social Distortion: SoCal punk rock band formed in 1978, predating Bad Religion and sharing both the LA punk scene origin and a similar touring-and-merchandise business model. Comparable genre, geography, and multi-decade career trajectory.
• Rancid: Bay Area punk rock band formed in 1991, contemporaries of Bad Religion with comparable touring intensity, catalog depth, and Epitaph Records distribution ties. Both share the punk rock festival circuit and a similar fan demographic.
• NOFX: Punk rock band with a multi-decade career active in Fat Wreck Chords (Brett Gurewitz-associated label ecosystem). Highly comparable genre and touring approach, with shared audience overlap and similar direct-to-consumer merchandise operations.
• Anti-Flag: Pittsburgh-based punk rock band with politically and socially conscious lyrics, comparable in genre and thematic positioning to Bad Religion. Similar touring-driven business model and direct-to-fan merchandise orientation.
• Pennywise: SoCal punk rock band formed in 1988, closely comparable in genre, geography, and career arc to Bad Religion. Both bands are staples of the Epitaph Records roster and have toured and released albums continuously for decades in the melodic hardcore/punk rock space.

Others

• Epitaph Records: Independent punk rock record label founded by Bad Religion's guitarist Brett Gurewitz. While not a direct peer, Epitaph is the band's primary distribution and label partner and is itself an iconic independent label, making it highly relevant ecosystem context for valuing Bad Religion's commercial setup.

Emerging players

• Rise Against: Chicago-based punk rock band formed in 1999, a more recent entrant in the punk rock space. Comparable in genre and politically/socially conscious lyrical themes that align with Bad Religion's identity, though operating at a smaller commercial scale.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/badreligion
• Facebookfacebook.com/badreligion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bad-religion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bad Religion