| The last thing Fat Mike would want to call Fat Wreck Chords is a major label. Fat is widely recognized as the largest independent record label on earth, with only seven full time employees as of 2000.
Fat is best known for helping give new school punk international exposure. Epitaph holds joint responsibility for this with bands like Pennywise, Bad Religion, and NOFX (who is also on Fat). It was the Fat Wreck Chords dirt cheap compilation releases that gave bands like Lagwagon, Propoghandi, and No Use for a Name a great deal of their initial exposure.
Currently, the six compilations are:
Fat Music for Fat People
Survival of the Fattest
Physical Fatness
Life in the Fat Lane
Live Fat, Die Young
and their gimmick release
Short Songs for Short People
Fat have also released a slew of albums for a slew of bands on the label. They are still considered an indie label because they profit share with their bands, have a small number of employees, and still seem to have a sense of moral integrity. They also aren't necessarily into the whole MTV video and major airplay thing, though they have given the local campus radio station in my hometown some stuff. | 
