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.

Craig Balsam is an American businessman, film producer, co-founder and co-CEO of Razor & Tie, an American entertainment company. Balsam grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, graduated from Emory College and earned his Juris Doctor degree from New York University where he met fellow student Cliff Chenfeld. After practicing law for several years, Balsam and Chenfeld left their law jobs in 1990 and formed Razor & Tie, an independent record label. The label initially focused on compilation albums (Monster Ballads) and reissues and has since become one of the leading rock labels in the country with artists such as The Pretty Reckless, Starset, All That Remains, The Sword and Red Sun Rising. In recent years the company has added Washington Square, an alternative leaning imprint and a music publishing company. Razor & Tie Publishing is responsible for No. 1 hits including "Home" by Phillip Phillips, "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton, "Whiskey in My Water" by Tyler Farr, "We Went" by Randy Houser and "Alone With You" by Jake Owen.

In 2001, Balsam and Chenfeld launched Kidz Bop, a series of audio releases of kids singing pop hits that are appropriate for children. The franchise has sold more than 16 million albums and become the leading kids' audio brand in the country. Kidz Bop has expanded significantly to include a national tour, merchandise, music videos and a channel on Sirius XM.

Balsam has been the executive producer of a number of films including Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound and The Last Five Years and theatrical productions including Small Mouth Sounds.

Razor & Tie was founded by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld, who met while in law school at NYU. Musicians as well as music fans, they played and wrote songs together while pursuing their degrees and continued to collaborate after they had begun working as lawyers. Following several years of practicing separately at large, corporate firms, Balsam and Chenfeld began to explore the idea of releasing records from the 70s. "We really didn't enjoy practicing law as much as we enjoyed music. So we began to think about ways we could maybe change our careers," Chenfeld said in 2010. In 1990, they founded Razor & Tie, naming the company after a song they had written while working as lawyers.