#1 active rock label BETTER NOISE MUSIC is celebrating another colossal year advancing the label’s reputation as trailblazers in the rock, metal, and alternative music scene, while underlining their highly strategic commitment to artist development. 2026 promises to be just as exciting as the label is gearing up for new music releases from Five Finger Death Punch, The Funeral Portrait, In This Moment, NOTHING MORE, Dirty Heads, The HU, Eva Under Fire, From Ashes To New, Bad Wolves, and new signings to be announced.
CEO Dan Waite welcomed the new signings and talked expansion of the label into 2026/2027: “2025 kicked off strongly with an array of big new global artist signings—including Sabaton, Yellowcard, The Rasmus, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and In This Moment—who have each already made their own indelible mark in the music world. Our 2026 and 2027 will see new signings being announced, and established bands joining the roster, benefitting from our artist development to join our unique roster of talented musicians and artists.”
Having carved out unique identities in the rock world, the new signings will be worked globally via their new label BETTER NOISE MUSIC.
The label is known for its creative artist development, innovative cross-media strategies, and ability to build international success stories. It was named Billboard’s #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Label and #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint of 2024, after its history-making run of five of the last six years as the #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint (2018-2022). In 2023 Allen Kovac moved up to Chairman role and over the last 2.5 years the company has been run by Dan Waite CEO, Steve Kline COO and President, Harris Masood CFO, and Paul Cormack GM.
President/COO Steve Kline reflected on the successful year, “Congratulations to our global Better Noise Music team, and thank you to our incredible artists and partners for an outstanding 2025. With big releases and new signings, we’re fully ramped up to celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2026 and to have another amazing year.”
New albums released throughout 2025 included two re-recorded greatest hits packages by Five Finger Death Punch (BEST OF - VOLUME 1 and BEST OF - VOLUME 2), Sabaton (LEGENDS), Yellowcard (BETTER DAYS), The Rasmus (WEIRDO), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (X’S FOR EYES), Solence (ANGELS CALLING), Cory Marks (SORRY FOR NOTHING VOLUME 2), and Finger Eleven (LAST NIGHT ON EARTH).
In addition, EPs and deluxe editions of albums came out by NOTHING MORE (CARNAL [DELUXE]), The Funeral Portrait (GREETINGS FROM SUFFOCATE CITY - FROM BEYOND THE ABYSS: DELUXE EDITION and DARK THOUGHTS EP), The HU (ECHOS OF THUNDER EP), and Bad Wolves (DIE ABOUT IT (DELUXE)).
As part of the album campaigns for the label in 2025, Better Noise Music released 51 individual tracks to DSPs throughout the year to support upcoming and already released albums from the label’s roster. A number of those tracks were strategically worked at radio, resulting in eight #1 singles on the Billboard “Mainstream Rock Airplay” and Mediabase Active Rock charts. The label also achieved #1 on the Billboard “Alternative Airplay” chart and the Mediabase Alternative Chart with Yellowcard's “Better Days,” the band's very first #1 at radio.
Highlights from throughout the year include (in chronological order):
JANUARY 2025
Solence was the first release of 2025 with a remix of one of their most popular songs, “Good F**king Music” (January 20) from their "BLUE MONDAY" EP, leading to five more songs throughout the rest of the year and setting the stage for their new "ANGELS CALLING" (October 3) album.
New signing Yellowcard launched their new deal with Better Noise Music with the lead single and title track “Better Days” along with album track “honestly i” (NEED LINKS May 28) from their debut album with the label, “Better Days” (October 10) produced by Travis Barker.
The Funeral Portrait—named by Pandora as one of their “Artists to Watch 2025: The Pandora Ten,” which spotlights a group of ten emerging artists across all genres that it believes will break through in the coming year--achieved their second #1 at Rock Radio with "Holy Water" featuring Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch (June 24).
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus made their most bold statement yet with the release of “Slipping Through (No Kings)” (June 27) with an animated video depicting the dystopian reality that many felt was on the immediate horizon.
The Rasmus played a charity concert in Ukraine (July 19) headlining the Atlas Festival as the only foreign artist at the event in front of over 60,000 people, where they performed the powerful outsider anthem, “Creatures of Chaos,” which was re-released October 10 featuring vocals by Theory of A Deadman’s lead singer Tyler Connolly.
From Ashes To New’s “New Disease” (July 25) was the first new song from the band since June 2023 and hinted at the start of a new album campaign for the new year.
Yellowcard celebrated their first-ever #1 at Alternative Radio in their home market (U.S.) with “Better Days” (September 3), an unflinching reflection on gratitude, forgiveness, perspective, and purpose.
Bad Wolves released “Hanging On To Thunder” featuring Australia's Stand Atlantic. It was the first new material connected to the platinum-certified, 5X #1 Hard Rock radio-charting rockers’ 2023 "DIE ABOUT IT" album and was the focus track tied to the release of the "DIE ABOUT IT (DELUXE)" album (September 19).
The Rasmus released a short documentary film, “The Rasmus in Ukraine” (September 26), about their time in the country. The income generated from YouTube was donated to The Good Donations Foundation.
Eva Under Fire returned with their first new music in two years with the riveting and demon-conquering “Awakening” (October 17).
Cory Marks released three songs throughout the year, crossing genres from Country to Rock and back again, all leading up to the release of "SORRY FOR NOTHING VOLUME 2" (October 3).
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released "X's For Eyes" (October 3), the first full-length album from the 5X Platinum-certified alternative rock mainstays as part of a new partnership with Better Noise Music.
Five Finger Death Punch's new cover version of “The End” with BABYMETAL (October 24) landed their first-ever #1 on the iTunes chart in Japan, and it reached #1 on the Billboard and Mediabase Active Rock charts.
From Ashes To New wrapped up the year with the release of “Drag Me” (December 5).
12 DAYS OF XMAS
- Cory Marks – SORRY FOR NOTHING
- Nothing More – CARNAL (DELUXE)
- The Funeral Portrait - GREETINGS FROM SUFFOCATE CITY - FROM BEYOND THE ABYSS: DELUXE EDITION
- The Rasmus – WEIRDO
- Bad Wolves - DIE ABOUT IT (DELUXE)
- Solence – ANGELS CALLING
- Cory Marks – SORRY FOR NOTHING VOLUME 2
- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – X’S FOR EYES
- Finger Eleven – LAST NIGHT ON EARTH
- Yellowcard – BETTER DAYS
- Sabaton - LEGENDS
- Five Finger Death Punch – BEST OF - VOLUME 1 and BEST OF - VOLUME 2