Fugazi released The Argument in 2001 and did some limited touring in 2002. By the end of the year it became clear that circumstances in the lives of the members had made it increasingly difficult for the band to operate, and so it was decided that the band would go on an indefinite hiatus. The decision would have a serious impact on the label given that Fugazi was by far the biggest active band on Dischord.

2002 also saw the departure of two of Dischord’s senior figures, Amy Pickering and Cynthia Connolly, each of whom had worked with the label for twenty-some years. For an operation that has stayed foundationally constant for so long, this was a challenging time, but the music continued to be made and so did the records.

New bands appeared ( Beauty Pill, French Toast, The Evens, and Antelope) and the crop of 2000 made follow-up records. We finally managed to get the 20 Years of Dischord Boxset finished up (almost two years late) and released in October. The boxset features one song from every band that released records on the label to underscore our gratitude to all of these bands and people for entrusting us with their music. Another objective for the boxset was to mark the passing of two decades in hopes of pointing out that it was possible for businesses to operate in unorthodox and idealistic ways and still function and thrive. Over the years a number of people have told us that the way we manage our business is unrealistic and unsustainable, so the boxset begs the question: Are we real yet?

In 2004 my mother, Ginger MacKaye, died. She had been receiving and separating out the Dischord mail from the MacKaye mail since the beginning of the label as well as greeting the steady stream of visitors who made their way to the Beecher Street address in search of Dischord House. She was an ardent supporter of the label and her ‘open door’ policy was central to the inclusiveness that we have attempted over the years, despite the chatter that claims otherwise.