Comedy Central Records is a record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central

Comedy Central

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

 (part of Viacom

Viacom

Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...

's MTV Networks

MTV Networks

MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...

) that puts out comedy album

Comedy album

A comedy album is an audio recording of comedic material from a comedian or group of comedians, usually performed either live or in a studio. Comedy albums may feature skits, humorous songs, and/or live recording of stand-up comedy performances, but the most common type of comedy albums are stand...

s by comedians that have appeared on their network.

The Label is distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance

Alternative Distribution Alliance

The Alternative Distribution Alliance was created in 1993 by Warner Music Group and Sub Pop Records as a joint venture to distribute and manufacture records owned by indie labels. Headed up by Mitchell Wolk, ADA is the leading "indie" distribution company in the U.S. for both physical and digital...

 / Warner Music.

History

Comedy Central Records was founded in 2002 by producer Jack Vaughn whom along with Comedy Central

Comedy Central

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

 had hopes to revive the comedy album.

Attitudes to stand-up began to change in 2002 when the channel released an uncensored CD of the network's program "Crank Yankers," which features various human-like puppets making off-color crank calls to one another. The CD ended up selling more than 80,000 copies, turning a nice profit for the network -- and started network management thinking about signing their talent to record deals. Since 2002, Comedy Central Records has gradually increased the number of releases to about 10 a year. The low number limits risk. "We make money on 80% to 90% of our releases," Mr. Vaughn says, noting that most new releases in the music industry lose money. The label's biggest hit so far is Dane Cook's "Retaliation," which opened at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200, the best comedy debut since Steve Martin's "A Wild and Crazy Guy" in 1978. The album has since gone platinum with total sales of nearly 650,000, according to SoundScan.

Since its debut the label has seen sides of both financial and critical acclaim, with releases from Dane Cook

Dane Cook

Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...

, Mitch Hedberg

Mitch Hedberg

Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes, mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs...

, Jim Gaffigan

Jim Gaffigan

James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...

, Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham

Robert "Bo" Burnham is an American comedian, singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and Internet celebrity. Writing comedic and satirical songs with a politically incorrect slant, he achieved fame when his YouTube videos took off; they have received more than 70 million views...

, Lewis Black

Lewis Black

Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...

, Nick Swardson

Nick Swardson

Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...

, and Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.

Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...

 holding spots on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

. Along with Grammy wins from Lewis Black

Lewis Black

Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...

 and Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...

Starting in 2007, the label has been releasing albums exclusively through digital music vendors such as iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

, and Rhapsody

Rhapsody (online music service)

Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...

 as a way to give lesser known comedians exposure with little risk to the label. Comedians whose albums have been released this way are Josh Sneed

Josh Sneed

-Comedy:He finished 2nd out of 20 of Comedy Central’s top comedians in the Annual Stand-up Showdown, earning him a deal to record a new album on Comedy Central Records. In 2006, Josh filmed a 30-minute special, “Comedy Central Presents: Josh Sneed” that debuted in March 2007 and is currently...

, Anthony Jeselnik

Anthony Jeselnik

Anthony Jeselnik is an American stand-up comedian and television writer.-Personal life:Jeselnik was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelors degree in English Literature from Tulane University, then moved to Los Angeles...

, Greg Warren

Greg Warren (comedian)

- Early years :Warren was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a high school wrestling coach and his mother made him play clarinet in the band. Greg incorporates these personae into his comedy routines, highlighting the conflict inherent in being both a varsity wrestler and band geek...

, Todd Glass

Todd Glass

Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...

, and Matt Braunger

Matt Braunger

Matthew "Matt" Braunger is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is most notable for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008-2009 and for co-starring in the web series IKEA Heights....

.

RIAA Certifications

Artist	Album	Award	Format
Dane Cook Dane Cook Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...	Harmful If Swallowed Harmful If Swallowed Harmful If Swallowed is the first CD/DVD set from American comedian Dane Cook. It was released on July 22, 2003.The attached DVD contains Dane's appearances on Comedy Central Presents , Comics Come Home 5, and Premium Blend.As of April 16, 2008, the album has sold 1,215,409 copies in the US...	Gold	Album
		Platinum	Album
	Retaliation	Gold	Album
		Platinum	Album
		2x Platinum	Album
	Rough Around The Edges Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden Rough Around the Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden is an album by American stand-up comedian and actor Dane Cook. It was released on November 13, 2007, on both CD and DVD....	Gold	Album
Nick Swardson Nick Swardson Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...	Party Party (Nick Swardson album) Party is the first CD/DVD set from American comedian Nick Swardson. It was released on October 23, 2007 and later certified platinum status on May 26, 2009...	Gold	Video Longform
		Platinum	Video Longform
Bo Burnham Bo Burnham Robert "Bo" Burnham is an American comedian, singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and Internet celebrity. Writing comedic and satirical songs with a politically incorrect slant, he achieved fame when his YouTube videos took off; they have received more than 70 million views...	Bo Burnham Bo Burnham (album) Bo Burnham is the eponymous debut album by American comedian, Bo Burnham. Released on March 10, 2009 by Comedy Central Records, the 2-disc album contains the Compact Disc musical album, and a DVD with Burnham's Comedy Central Presents special, all of his YouTube videos, and other performances.In a...	Gold	Video Longform
Demetri Martin Demetri Martin Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...	These Are Jokes These Are Jokes These Are Jokes is the first CD/DVD set from American comedian Demetri Martin. Some of the jokes have previously appeared on his Comedy Central Presents special as well as his portion of the compilation Invite Them Up....	Gold	Video Longform
Jim Gaffigan Jim Gaffigan James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...	Doing My Time Doing My Time Doing My Time is the fifth album released by American stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan. The album was released on December 7, 2004, by Comedy Central Records.-Track listing:#Elton John - 11:20#Recessive Genes - 1:09#Got Married - 4:40...	Gold	Video Longform

Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album

Year	Artist	Album	Result	Ref
2006	Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...	Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues is Lewis Black's fourth album. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2006. It was recorded at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California . A limited vinyl edition of 500 for this release was issued by Stand Up! Records...	Nominated	No
2007	Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...	The Carnegie Hall Performance The Carnegie Hall Performance The Carnegie Hall Performance is Lewis Black's fifth album, and winner of Best Comedy Album at the 49th annual Grammy Awards. Several pieces are derived from material that was published in his 2005 autobiography, Nothing's Sacred....	Won	No
2008	Steven Wright Steven Wright Steven Alexander Wright is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes and one-liners with contrived situations.-Early life and career:Wright was born in Mount Auburn...	I Still Have a Pony I Still Have a Pony I Still Have a Pony is the second live comedy album by Steven Wright. Released 22 years after Wright's first album, it contains the audio from his Comedy Central standup comedy special "When The Leaves Blow Away" Wright claims to have come back with a new album and special because "the people in...	Nominated
	George Lopez George Lopez George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...	America's Mexican	Nominated
2009	Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...	Anticipation Anticipation (Lewis Black album) Anticipation is the sixth album by comedian Lewis Black. It was released on August 5, 2008 on Comedy Central Records. The album consists of stand-up material he has used on his tours over a three-year period, and was recorded on September 21, 2007 in Wausau, Wisconsin.The album cover features part...	Nominated
2010	Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...	A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a Grammy Award-winning Christmas special that debuted on Comedy Central on November 23, 2008....	Won
	George Lopez George Lopez George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...	Tall, Dark & Chicano	Nominated	No
2011	Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...	Stark Raving Black	Won
2012	Louis C.K. Louis C.K. Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...	Hilarious Hilarious (album) Hilarious is the third album by comedian Louis C.K., containing the audio of his third one-hour special filmed and recorded at The Pabst Theater in Milwaukee and released on January 11, 2011 by Comedy Central Records.-Background and development:...	Undecided
	Patton Oswalt Patton Oswalt Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...	Finest Hour Finest Hour Finest Hour is a run and gun arcade game that was released by Namco in 1989 and re-released for the Wii Virtual Console on August 25, 2009 only in Japan.-Gameplay:...	Undecided