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| PIAS Recordings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1982; 43 years ago (1982) |
| Founder | Kenny Gates Michel Lambot |
| Distributors | PIAS,Virgin Music Group in the U.S. |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Belgium |
| Location | London Brussels |
| Official website | playitagainsam |
PIAS Recordings (also known asPlay It Again Sam) is a British-Belgianrecord label founded in 1982[citation needed] by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot, In September 2024, the company was acquired by Universal Music Group.[1] Play It Again Sam expanded along with other European independent labels in the early 1980s. Play It Again Sam's prominent early artists were electronic-rock acts likeFront 242,Meat Beat Manifesto andThe Young Gods. They later added artists such asThe Sound,Soulwax/2ManyDJ's,Sigur Rós andMogwai.
The first release on the label in 1984 was the mini albumFaces in the Fire by the cult experimental psychedelic bandThe Legendary Pink Dots. This was immediately followed by theFour Your Ears Only EP, featuringRed Lorry Yellow Lorry,Red Guitars,Party Day and Luddites.[2] This laid the ground for releases from many other artists with very diverse musical backgrounds and geographical origins, including theButthole Surfers,Parade Ground,The Neon Judgement,The Sound,Skinny Puppy,Taxi Girl,Bill Pritchard andThe Cassandra Complex. In 1988 the label released the albumFront By Front byFront 242 including the single "Headhunter" (with a video directed byAnton Corbijn).
The year 1983 marked a distribution agreement in whichChicago-basedWax Trax! Records distributed Play It Again Sam releases in the USA. The agreement continued into the 1990s. In 1999, Play It Again Sam signed a German distribution deal to distributeLondon-based dance labelMo' Wax's releases.[3]
In 2000, the label moved fromBrussels to London and was renamed PIAS Recordings. PIAS Recordings released the first two albums by Icelandic bandSigur Rós. The Scottish bandMogwai signed to PIAS in 2001.
PIAS announced at the end of 2010 that it would be re-launching Play It Again Sam as a label.
In November 2022,Universal Music Group purchased a 49% stake in[PIAS] (including [PIAS] Recordings).[4]
