Started in 1973 as the primary vehicle for Grateful Dead releases after leaving Warner (Round Records was also set up for solo projects).

At the end of 1975, the group abandoned some of their independence and signed a distribution deal with United Artists. After this time, albums were released with both Grateful Dead Records catalogue numbers and United Artists numbers. The Dead however retained rights to their recordings of this period and they subsequently became available through Grateful Dead Merchandising.

In 1976, the Dead signed with Arista.