Beggars Group is a British

record company A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD,

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pu ...

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...

and Young.

History

The companies’ roots stem from the Beggars Banquet record shops, which first opened in 1973 with a shop in

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), the shop founders decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records as

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing ...

, which became the group's flagship label and namesake. The first band on the label was English punk group The Lurkers; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' punk classic "Shadow"/"Love Story" 7" single. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits with

Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977 the band gradually changed to an electronic sound. They were the first band of the electronic era to have a synthesiser ...

and

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...

secured the label's future. Beggars Banquet then went on to release music by

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...

, Buffalo Tom, The Charlatans,

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...

, The National,

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

and

Tindersticks Tindersticks are an English alternative rock band formed in Nottingham in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples embarked on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006 and more permanently the following year. Th ...

. On January 25, 2022, it was announced that AD U.S. label manager Nabil Ayers would succeed Matt Harmon as President of Beggar's Group U.S. operations.

Ownership

The Beggars Group has been in business for over forty years and is owned and managed by Martin Mills. Its musical focus remains fiercely alternative. As of 2017, the main labels that form the group are 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings and Young. The company owns 4AD (the label itself a Beggars Banquet imprint) outright, and retains a 50% stake in each of the others. Older labels within the group, including Beggars Banquet itself and

Too Pure Too Pure was a London-based independent record label formed in 1990 by Richard Roberts and Paul Cox. The label gained prominence after the release of PJ Harvey's debut album '' Dry'' in 1992, and subsequently found further success in the lat ...

, are now part of Beggars Arkive, which is the catalogue department for its labels that are no longer active.

Independence

With its own worldwide network in place, unique in the independent sector, the Group now has three offices in London (two of which also house recording studios), two in the US (New York and Los Angeles), and a dedicated office in every major territory. The company has also been actively involved in helping to promote the collective interests of the sector, being founding members of the AIM (UK) in 1999,

IMPALA The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus ''Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Ger ...

(Europe) in 2000,

A2IM The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is a trade association that represents independent record labels in the United States, founded in 2005. A2IM is headquartered in New York City, with chapters located in Nashville, Chicago, Nort ...

(USA), and most recently the Worldwide Independent Network, each of which represent the interests of the independent music industry. The Beggars Group are also active members of

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...

, the independents’ rights licensing body.

Martin Mills

Martin Mills has become known as a fierce advocate for independent label rights, and testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights hearing against the Universal Music Group-EMI merger. In 2011, The Guardian named him #22 in their "Music Power 100. He was given the "Industry Icon" award by

Billboard (magazine) ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the mus ...

at Midem in 2013. In 2014, Martin was given the Pioneer Award at the 2014 AIM Independent Music Awards. He has been listed on Billboard's "Power 100" several times including #63 in 2015, #66 in 2014, and #64 in 2013.

Variety Magazine ''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based ...

named him one of the International Music Leaders of 2018. He is a founding member of

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus ''Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Ger ...

, on the boards of

, and AIM, and in 2018 was appointed to a brand new role, Chair of WIN, the Worldwide Independent Network representing the interests of the global independent music community.

Current group artists

The main labels that are part of the Beggars Group are home to a range of artists including: 4AD *

Aldous Harding Hannah Sian Topp (born 1990), known professionally as Aldous Harding, is a New Zealand folk singer-songwriter, based in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Biography Harding comes from a musical family in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Her mother is folk singer ...

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* Bing & Ruth *

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(in Europe only;

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in US) * The Breeders *

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* D.D Dumbo *

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(worldwide through 4AD; Rumraket in Scandinavia) * EL VY *

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* Gang Gang Dance * Grimes *

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(in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia; Warner Bros. in North America) * John Moreland * The Lemon Twigs * LNZNDRF * Merchandise *

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* The National * Pixx * Purity Ring * SOHN * Torres * Tune-Yards * U.S. Girls * Scott Walker

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* Body/Head *

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* Chavez * Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile * Darkside *

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* Hælos *

Iceage Iceage is a Danish punk rock band from Copenhagen. The band was formed in 2008 and has released the albums '' New Brigade'' (2011), '' You're Nothing'' (2013), '' Plowing Into the Field of Love'' (2014), '' Beyondless'' (2018), and '' Seek S ...

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* Julien Baker *

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* Lucy Dacus * Paul Banks * Pavement *

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* Savages *

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* Steve Gunn *

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* Gilla Band * Goat Girl * Honey Hahs * Houndmouth *

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* Jeffrey Lewis *

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* Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker * Lankum *

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* Mica Levi * Palma Violets * Pantha Du Prince *

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* PicaPica *

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* Princess Nokia *

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* SOAK * Starcrawler * This Is the Kit * Warpaint

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* Arca *

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* Everything Is Recorded * Gila * Hugo Massien *

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* Jai Paul *

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* Kaytranada * Kurupt FM * Nines * Overmono * Powell *

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* RATKING * Sam Gellaitry *

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* Smerz * Special Request *

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Young * Daniela Lalita * Ethan P. Flynn * FKA Twigs *

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* Koreless * Oliver Sim * Romy *

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References

External links

*
Canadian website
{{coords, 51.4585, -0.1854, display=title