Record labels are dying a slow death. But the 30th birthday of a revered indie label is a reminder of the status and influence that such imprints once held
CHANCES ARE you or someone you know was a 4AD obsessive. It’s okay: you weren’t the only one. For a time from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s 4AD was the coolest record label on the planet and attracted a fanatical following. Many of these obsessives bought every single release on the English imprint, which Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent set up in 1980. Some snapped them up for the music – the label was home to Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses and Dead Can Dance – and some bought them to get their hands on the striking Vaughan Oliver artwork that accompanied each release.
In 2010, though, very few people can tell you the names of the bands on 4AD today without resorting to Google. It’s a good roster – acts include TV on the Radio, The National and Deerhunter, in particular – but most people associate the label with acts it hasn’t worked with in years. There are certainly very few obsessives who buy every single 4AD release, and Oliver’s artwork no longer features on every sleeve.
As 4AD celebrates its 30th birthday it may appear that the days of great indie labels and their influence on music fans are on the wane. The huge changes in the record industry over the past 15 years, especially the mergers and buyouts that saw many companies swallowed up, mean labels are no longer the reliable filters they once were. The Island Records of today, for example, shares only a name with the label created and developed by Chris Blackwell. Even U2, once its biggest and most bankable stars, are no longer on Island, having jumped to Interscope and Mercury.
Much of indie labels’ influence came from their relationship with record shops, through which they were able to build their brands. With fewer and fewer record shops in business, that avenue is now a cul-de-sac. Yet there has never been more need for what was the labels’ chief selling point. With thousands of new bands popping up every year, and innumerable releases competing for your time and money, everyone is seeking the reliable filter system that labels once operated.
Some labels still do this and more. Laurence Bell at Domino and Richard Russell at XL are two music men at the helm of arguably the finest indie labels in business right now. Like those who ran great imprints like Atlantic and Blue Note in the past, Bell and Russell appear to recognise the importance of a cohesive label identity and how you can sometimes achieve this through the artists you choose to work with. If you work with quality acts, people should view you as a quality label.
Both have diverse rosters – Domino is home to both Tricky and Villagers, for instance, while XL houses The xx and Gil Scott-Heron – and there is probably a commercial hope that would-be purchasers will trust the label’s instincts when it comes to new music.
Like 4AD, both Domino and XL have been around the houses. In fact, a lot of pioneering labels are celebrating significant birthdays this year. Ninja Tune is marking 20 years of head-spinning electronic releases, while Matador is partying in Las Vegas this weekend to celebrate its 21st. Both Ninja Tune and Matador are still signing new acts.
What will be interesting to see is which, if any, of the new wave of imprints currently dipping their toes in the water will be around 20 years from now. The record-label business will almost certainly be a very different place by then. Many of the new label chiefs may regard simply being in business after a few years of releases as a reason for celebration, let alone having huge success on their hands.
Right now longevity probably doesn’t figure in the plans of the people behind True Panther, Neon Gold, Stones Throw, Young Turks, Ghostly International, Sincerely Yours, DFA, Barsuk, Carpark or Irish labels like Richter Collective and Any Other City. They’re just looking to find ways to get out as many releases from as many bands as they can. For them, the long run and the 20th and 30th birthday parties can wait.
Three other indie icons
WarpThe electronic-music label was formed by Steve Beckett and the late Rob Mitchell in Sheffield's FON record store in 1989 – and is still going strong, with a Brian Eno album due for release in the next few months.
MergeAnother label that came into being in 1989, Carolina's Merge has been a home for Superchunk, Polvo, Lambchop, Dinosaur Jr and many others. The label had its first number-one album with Arcade Fire's Funeralin 2004, a feat repeated by the band's current album, The Suburbs.
Sub PopThe Seattle label has gone though a couple of iterations since its formation, in 1986. Most closely associated with grunge via Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney, Sub Pop has found recent success with acts like Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service and The Shins.
