| Rough Trade Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Beggars Group (branding licensed fromRough Trade) |
| Founded | 1976 (1976) |
| Founder | Geoff Travis |
| Distributor | Beggars Group |
| Genre | Indie music,rock |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Location | London, England |
| Official website | roughtraderecords |
Rough Trade Records is anindependent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 byGeoff Travis, who had openeda record store offLadbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis andJeannette Lee and is affiliated withBeggars Group.
Having successfully promoted and sold records bypunk rock and earlypost-punk andindie pop bands such asthe Normal andDesperate Bicycles, Travis began to manage acts and distribute bands such asScritti Politti and began the label, which was informed byleft-wing politics and structured as aco-operative. Label activities began in 1978. Soon after, Rough Trade also set up a distribution arm that serviced independent retail outlets across Britain, a network that became known as theCartel. In 1983, Rough Trade signedthe Smiths.
Interest and investment of major labels in the UK indie scene in the late 1980s, as well as overtrading on behalf of Rough Trade's distribution wing, led to cash flow problems, and eventually to bankruptcy, forcing the label intoreceivership.
However, Travis resurrected the label in the late 1990s partnering with Lee, finding success withthe Libertines,the Strokes,Anohni and the Johnsons and more. The roster is diverse, withPulp,Sleaford Mods,Dean Blunt,black midi,Special Interest,Jockstrap andLankum among those signed to the label, which has ranged stylistically throughalternative rock, post-punk andnew wave,garage rock, andpsychedelic rock, but alsoart pop,folk,electronic, andsoul.
Rough Trade began as a record shop, opened byGeoff Travis on Kensington Park Road, West London, in February 1976, with Travis reportedly taking the shop name from the Canadianart punk/new wave bandRough Trade.[2] It was inspired by what Travis has described as the "community-based environment" of theCity Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, and specialised ingarage rock andreggae. Steve Montgomery, initially a customer of the shop, was offered a job soon after it opened and became its effective co-manager. Travis and Montgomery were joined by a further employee, Richard Scott, in June 1977.[3][4]
Rough Trade produced its own record for the first time after French punk bandMétal Urbain came into the shop asking for assistance in publicising their music.[4]
The Rough Trade label subsequently issued a single by Jamaican reggae musicianAugustus Pablo, thedebut EP by Sheffield bandCabaret Voltaire and the secondStiff Little Fingers single, "Alternative Ulster". During 1978, the label released singles bythe Monochrome Set,Subway Sect,Swell Maps,Electric Eels,Spizzoil andKleenex.[5] In 1979, Rough Trade's first album,Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers, reached number 14 in the UK charts and became the first independently released album to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK.[6] Rough Trade's significance by this time was such that it was made the subject of aSouth Bank Show documentary.[7] By the mid-1980s the label was seeking partnerships with bands from multiple genres, stating that "Hardcore, Dance, Reggae, Experimental & undefinable are all welcome." In 1988 the label went out of business.[8]
Rough Trade Records was relaunched in 2000 as an independently owned entity, a partnership between Travis,Jeannette Lee (a former member ofPublic Image Ltd.), and minority partnersSanctuary Records, as a part of theZomba Group until 11 June 2002 whenBMG bought out this business. Prior to the BMG buyout, Rough Trade Records releasedthe Strokes' debut EPThe Modern Age in the spring of 2001.[9] In July 2007 Sanctuary Records then sold its stake in Rough Trade to theBeggars Group for £800,000 making Rough Trade independent once again.[10] However, it can be argued that Rough Trade is not truly independent as it is owned by another company. Rough Trade is more accurately asubsidiary[11] that is owed byBeggars Group, which in turn is aprivately held company not publicly traded on the stock market.[12] Throughout this period, and continuing under Beggars, the label has been co-managed by Lee and Travis.[13]
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