4AD is a British

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

owned by

Beggars Group Beggars Group is a British record company, founded by Martin Mills, that owns or holds stakes in various record labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings, and Young (record label), Young. History The company had i ...

. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of

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 D ...

. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of the label's first four singles. Later that year, Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label from Beggars Banquet to become an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

, and Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell a year later. The label gained prominence in the 1980s for releasing albums from

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

, and

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

artists, such as

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

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

Modern English Modern English, sometimes called New English (NE) or present-day English (PDE) as opposed to Middle and Old English, is the form of the English language that has been spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England England is a Count ...

, Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox, Pixies,

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was original ...

, and Watts-Russell's own musical project

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotat ...

. In 1987, the label scored an international hit with the

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

single " Pump Up the Volume" by the one-off project

MARRS MARRS (stylised M, A, R, R, S) were a 1987 recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox, which only released one commercial disc. It became "a one-hit wonder of rare influence" because of their international hit "Pump Up th ...

. 4AD continued to have success in the 1990s and 2000s, with releases from

the Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ( ...

, Lush, Belly, Red House Painters,

Camera Obscura A camera obscura (; ) is the natural phenomenon in which the rays of light passing through a aperture, small hole into a dark space form an image where they strike a surface, resulting in an inverted (upside down) and reversed (left to right) ...

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

, St. Vincent, Cass McCombs and

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...

. , the label's current roster includes acts such as

Dry Cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent (usually non-polar, as opposed to water which is a Solvent#Solvent classifications, polar ...

, the National,

Daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...

Deerhunter Deerhunter is an American indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Moses Archuleta (drums, electronics, sound treatments), Lockett Pundt (guitar, vocals, ...

Big Thief Big Thief is an American indie folk band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015. The lineup comprises vocalist-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia. Founding bassist Max Oleartchik left the band in 2024 ...

, Aldous Harding, U.S. Girls, Erika de Casier, and

Future Islands Future Islands is an American synth-pop band based in Baltimore, Maryland, comprising Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), Samuel T. Herring (lyrics and vocals), and Michael Lowry (pe ...

. In 1999, Watts-Russell sold 4AD back to the Beggars Group. The label's history was detailed by Martin Aston in the book ''Facing The Other Way'', released in 2013.

History

Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, employees of the Beggars Banquet record store and label, founded Axis Records (named after the

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

album '' Axis: Bold as Love'') in late 1979 as a property of Beggars, run by the two of them. After the first four Axis singles in early 1980, it became apparent that the name Axis was already being used by another music company and the name was changed to 4AD, an abbreviation of the word forward. Other names which they had considered included 1980AD, 4WD and 1984. An initial idea was that the label would be a "testing ground" for Beggars Banquet; successful acts would graduate up to Beggars Banquet after a year at 4AD. The only band to follow this path were

who signed to Beggars Banquet in late 1980 before Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label outright. Watts-Russel and Kent were the sole owners for about a year. Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell at the end of 1981, and started a new Beggars Banquet subsidiary, Situation Two Records. Watts-Russell would maintain ownership of the label, and act as its president, until the late 1990s. Watts-Russell invited the graphic designer Vaughan Oliver and the photographer Nigel Grierson to create sleeve art for the label, and as a result, 4AD acquired a visually distinctive identity. Its artists, such as

and Dead Can Dance, developed cult followings in the mid-1980s. Describing the label's mid-1980s image, the critic Dorian Lynskey wrote that "If

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

felt like an art gallery-cum-nightclub and Rough Trade a left-leaning college campus, then 4AD was a church." 4AD continued to evolve during the late 1980s and after signing

and Pixies the label increasingly concentrated on underground American rock music. In 1983, 4AD had a minor hit in America with the

single " I Melt With You". In 1987, 4AD had a UK number-one hit with the collaged " Pump up the Volume" by

(licensed to 4th & B'Way/Island Records in the US). In the 1990s, 4AD established an office in Los Angeles and had success with bands such as

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ( ...

, Belly, Red House Painters, Unrest and His Name Is Alive, as well as solo material by Frank Black and

Kristin Hersh Martha Kristin Hersh (born August 7, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known for her solo work and with her rock bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave, 50FootWave. She has released eleven solo albums. Her guitar work and comp ...

. The label's deal with Warner Bros. Records in the United States in 1992 would start the beginning of a new phase in 4AD history. New signings that year included American underground acts Kendra Smith, Tarnation, Air Miami and

The Amps The Amps were an American alternative rock band formed by Kim Deal in 1995, while her band the Breeders went on hiatus. The group consisted of Deal, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macp ...

. The following year Watts-Russell started a sub-label, Guernica, which would release records by Unrest,

That Dog That Dog (stylized as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar an ...

, and Bettie Serveert. In 1999, Watts-Russell sold his share in 4AD back to the Beggars Group (as it had by then become), but the label continued to release music and add new artists to its roster. Simon Halliday took control of the label at the end of 2007. Immediate successes were

's critically lauded debut '' For Emma, Forever Ago'' (CAD 2809) and '' Dear Science'' by Brooklyn's

(CAD 2821). In 2008, the Beggars Group re-aligned itself so that several labels, including Beggars Banquet itself, were folded up on to the 4AD label. Bands including The National were moved to 4AD as a part of this merger. In 2009, the label released, amongst others, St. Vincent's second record ''

Actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

'' (CAD 2919) and

's '' My Maudlin Career.'' The following year, 4AD saw the release of The National's '' High Violet'' and acclaimed albums from Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Blonde Redhead and

. In the next three years, 4AD oversaw new releases from Scott Walker,

, Iron & Wine, and Tune-Yards, whilst also expanded its roster with a number of beats and electronic acts in the shape of acts including

Purity Ring Purity rings (also known as promise rings, abstinence rings, or chastity rings) are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, Christian organizations in the United States used the purity ring as a symbol of commitment. In particular, Cat ...

and

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

, with the latter releasing one of the best received albums of 2012. Additional signings to the label include bEEdEEgEE, of Gang Gang Dance, Lo-Fang, and British producer SOHN. At the start of 2014, the label also announced the additions of

and Merchandise, followed by D.D Dumbo. In 2015, the label released critically lauded albums by Deerhunter and Grimes, amongst others. The following year, the label and The National landed their first UK No. 1 record with '' Sleep Well Beast''. Latest signings to the roster include Aldous Harding and British band Dry Cleaning. In April 2021, the label released '' Bills & Aches & Blues'', a compilation album featuring bands from 4AD covering songs the label had released over its 40 years.

Distribution

While 4AD did not handle any distribution outside the United Kingdom for many years, it had many willing distributors in many countries;

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

for France,

Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

distributed much of the label in Japan, while PolyGram subsidiary

Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...

released many of the label's records in Canada. The USA had always been a tough market for 4AD, even though its records sold well there as imports. Only a few of the label's acts had deals to license their recordings in the US, among various labels. In 1992, Watts-Russell signed a five-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records so that nearly all 4AD releases would be released in the United States. When the deal ended, he offered to sell the label back to Beggars Banquet. Dead Can Dance's output, however, stayed with Warner Bros. until the sale back to Beggars Group. The deal with Beggars Banquet was completed by early 1999, and since then it has owned 4AD and its distribution worldwide. This led to many negotiations for the label's back catalogue, like getting back American distribution rights for Pixies, Dead Can Dance and

Artists

Current

* @ (At) * Adrianne Lenker * Aldous Harding * Anjimile * Atlas Sound * Bartees Strange * Becky and the Birds *

* Buck Meek * cumgirl8 *

* Erika de Casier * Ex:Re *

* Helado Negro * Holly Herndon * Jenny Hval *

Kim Deal Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician. She was the original bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock band the Pixies (band), Pixies from 1986 to 1993 and again from 2004 to 2013. She is the frontwoman of the Bre ...

* Lucinda Chua * Maria Somerville * The National *

Tkay Maidza Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza ( ; (born 17 December 1995) is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and hip hop artist from Adelaide, South Australia. She has been nominated for and won many awards, and released two albums: '' Tk ...

* Tucker Zimmerman * Tune-Yards * U.S. Girls

Former

* Air Miami (disbanded) *

(disbanded) * Anni Rossi (active) * A.R. Kane (disbanded) *

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded al ...

(active) * Tom Baril (photographer published by 4AD) *

(reformed) * Bearz (still active as a David Gunstone project c. 2019) *

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

(active) * Belly (active 2018) * Heidi Berry (inactive; currently a teacher) * Bettie Serveert (active) * The Big Pink (active) * Bing & Ruth (active) * The Birthday Party (disbanded) * Frank Black (active) * Blonde Redhead (active) *

(active) * Broken Records (active) *

Michael Brook Michael Brook (born 1951) is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, music producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores. His collaborations with musicians around the worl ...

(active) * The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir (active) *

(active) * Celebration (active) * Clan of Xymox (active) *

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

(deceased) *

(disbanded) * Colourbox (dissolved) *

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(a.k.a. Air Cuba) (disbanded) * Cupol (one-off collaboration) * C.V.O. (disbanded) * D.D Dumbo (active) * Dance Chapter (disbanded) * Dead Can Dance (active) * Department of Eagles (active) * Diana Gordon (active) * Dif Juz (disbanded) * Tanya Donelly (active) * Efterklang * EL VY * Electricity in Our Homes (active) * The Fast Set (disbanded) * Frazier Chorus (dissolved) *

(active) * Future of the Left (active) * Lisa Germano (active) * Lisa Gerrard (active) * Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke * B. C. Gilbert & G. Lewis * The Glee Club (disbanded) * Rachel Goswell * Gang Gang Dance (active) * The Golden Dregs (active) * Gianna Kondor (active) *

(active) * GusGus (active) * Rene Halkett &

David J David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus and for ...

* Neil Halstead (active) * The Happy Family (disbanded) * HAWA (active) * Tim Hecker (active) *

(active) * His Name Is Alive (active) * The Hope Blister (disbanded) *

Rowland S. Howard Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career ...

(deceased) &

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

In Camera ''In camera'' (; Latin: "in a chamber"). is a legal term that means ''in private''. The same meaning is sometimes expressed in the English equivalent: ''in chambers''. Generally, ''in-camera'' describes court cases, parts of it, or process wh ...

(disbanded) * Inc. (active) * Indians (active) * Insides (active) * Iron & Wine (active) * It Hugs Back (active) *

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

(deceased) * Matt Johnson (The The founder; released a

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century ...

in 1981 that was reissued in 1993 through 4AD as a The The album) * Joker (active) * Søren Juul (active) * Lakuna (one-off project) * Mark Lanegan Band * Last Dance (disbanded) * The Late Cord (one-off collaboration) * The Lemon Twigs (active) * Liima (active) * Liquorice (one-off collaboration) * Lo-Fang (active) * LNZNDRF (one-off collaboration) *

(active) * Lush (disbanded; reformed 2015–2016) *

(disbanded) * Magnetophone (active) *

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

(disbanded) * Cass McCombs (active) *

Merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

(active) * Methyl Ethel (active) * Vinny Miller (active) * Minotaur Shock (active) *

(active) * Mojave 3 (disbanded) * John Moreland (active) *

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are a United States band formed in Claremont, California, Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole me ...

(active) * My Captains (disbanded) * Velvet Negroni (active) *

Colin Newman Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire (band), Wire. Early life Newman was born in Salisbury ...

(active) * Pieter Nooten &

* The Paladins (on hiatus) * Pale Saints (disbanded) * The Past 7 Days (disbanded) *

Brendan Perry Brendan Michael Perry (born 30 June 1959) is a British singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as half of the duo Dead Can Dance with Lisa Gerrard. Early life Perry was born in Whitechapel, London, England, UK, in 1959 to a mot ...

(active) * Piano Magic (disbanded) * Pixies (active) * Pixx (active) * Emma Pollock (active) * Psychotik Tanks (disbanded) *

(active) * Ra Ra Riot (one-off split single with

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

) * Red Atkins (deceased) * Red House Painters (disbanded) * Rema-Rema (disbanded) * Richenel (deceased) * Scheer (disbanded) * Serena-Maneesh (active) * Shox (disbanded) * Kendra Smith (active c.2017–2018) * SOHN (active) * Sort Sol (active) *

SpaceGhostPurrp Markese Money Rolle (born April 1, 1991),Fri, Crossfade. (June 8, 2012Best of Miami 2012 – Best Solo Musician: SpaceGhostPurrp Blogs.miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2013. known professionally as SpaceGhostPurrp, is an American rapp ...

(active) *

Spasmodic Caress Spasmodic Caress were an English post punk/ new wave band, formed by Peter Masters, that played many gigs along the East Coast in Essex, Ipswich, Colchester and London between 1979 and 1984. They recorded a track for the 4AD Records 12" compilatio ...

(disbanded) * Spencer. *

Spirea X Spirea X were a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed by Primal Scream founding member Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie in 1990. History After six years in the band, Jim Beattie left Primal Scream in 1988. Two years ...

(disbanded) * Spoonfed Hybrid (disbanded) * Starry Smooth Hound (the original alias of Vinny Miller) *

Stereolab Stereolab are an English people, Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound incorporates repetitive motorik beats with the use of vintage electronic keybo ...

(active) *

(disbanded) * St. Vincent (active) *

Swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

(disbanded) * Sybarite (active) * Tarnation (disbanded; currently

Paula Frazer Paula A. Frazer (born April 24, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and Arkansas and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic alternative country, but with ...

and Tarnation) * that dog. (active) *

The The are an English rock band from London, formed in 1979 by singer-songwriter Matt Johnson, the only constant member, and often the sole member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles, seven reaching ...

(active) * Thievery Corporation (active) *

(concluded) *

(active) *

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. The ...

(active) * Torres (active) *

Tones on Tail Tones on Tail were a British post-punk band formed in 1982, originally as a musical side project of Daniel Ash of the gothic rock group Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop." History While sti ...

(disbanded) *

(active) * Twin Shadow (active) * 23 Envelope (4AD's design regulars in the 1980s and 1990s; became v23) *

Ultra Vivid Scene Ultra Vivid Scene was an American alternative rock band, started by Kurt Ralske. Background Former Nothing But Happiness and Crash guitarist Ralske started Ultra Vivid Scene in 1986,https://www.discogs.com/release/6488943-Ultra-Vivid-Scene-S ...

(disbanded) * Underground Lovers (active) * Unrest (disbanded) * Vaughan Oliver & v23 (deceased) * Scott Walker (deceased) * M Ward (active) * Wolf & Cub (active) * The Wolfgang Press (active) * Xmal Deutschland (disbanded) *

Zomby Zomby is a British electronic musician who began releasing music in 2007. He has released music on several labels, including Hyperdub, Werk Discs, and 4AD. Zomby's influences include oldschool jungle music and Wiley's eskibeat sound. Car ...

(active)

Releases

Catalogue numbering scheme

In 2013, the music historian Martin Aston wrote in ''Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD'': For the most part, 4AD's official UK releases follow a standard scheme for designating catalogue numbers. Although there have been some variations over the years, some general rules can be devised to easily determine the format (LP, CD, etc.) and year of release by looking at a 4AD catalog number.

Prefix

The first part of a catalogue number is a prefix that contains a variation of "AD," based on the 4AD name. Some standards are: * AD = single * BAD = EP * CAD = full-length LP * DAD = double LP * MAD =

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

Special editions of releases had an extra "D" added to the prefix: * CAD D = special edition of a full-length LP * DAD D = special edition of a double LP Some other "AD" variations have been used less frequently over the years, including (but not limited to): * EAD = electronic download * GAD = reissue (usually mid-priced) * HAD = remastered or significantly altered reissue (usually with some combination of bonus tracks, re-mastering, or new artwork) * JAD and MAD = "mini album" that is longer than an EP but shorter than an LP * SAD =

Super Audio CD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the compact disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows multiple a ...

release (as in the Dead Can Dance 2008 remastered reissues) * TAD = temporary/limited release 4AD only released one LP on DAT format, Cocteau Twins' '' Blue Bell Knoll'', which was designated CADT 807.

Numerical designation

The second part of the catalogue number is a number that represents the year of release (via the number of years since 1980, following the '1980 Forward' theme), and the order of release in the particular year. For example,

's LP '' It'll End in Tears'' is CAD 411. The "CAD" represents that the release is an LP, the "4" in 411 represents 1984, and 11 marks the 11th release of that year. This is the vinyl LP release; cassette versions have "C" added to the prefix (CADC 411 in this example); CD versions have "CD" added at the end (CAD 411CD). A side effect of this scheme is that it made it seem like 4AD had hundreds of releases early on. In the 1990s, 4AD changed the first part of the number from "100s" to "1000s," temporarily making the number not correspond with the number of years since 1980. Releases in 1990 used "00" directly after the prefix (e.g., the Pixies' '' Bossanova'', CAD0010, released in the fall of 1990); 1991 used "10" directly after the prefix (e.g., This Mortal Coil's ''

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

'', DAD 1005, released early in 1991), 1992 used "20," and so on for the rest of the 1990s. Wanting to return to numbering with the years since 1980, 4AD had to provide a workaround for releases in the year 2000. Since the "20" numerical designation had been used in 1992, all releases in 2000 used "2K" (e.g., Mojave 3's '' Excuses for Travellers'', CAD 2K05, released in early 2000). Between 2001 and 2009, the catalogue numbering scheme returned to the original format, with the first two digits of the number representing the years since 1980 (e.g., Blonde Redhead's '' 23'', CAD 2717, released in 2007; the 27th year since 1980). Things have not been too consistent since, and there have been several gaps. 2010 releases feature the numerical designation 3X, as "30" had already been used in 1993. This process appears to have come to an end with the few ''x''AD37''nn'' releases of the early months of 2017. The catalogue numbers of all releases since April 2017 (beginning with ''The Far Field'' by

, 4AD0001CD/4AD0001LP) have begun with 4AD00''nn'' and ended with letters indicating the release format. No indication of release year is given.

4AD Sessions

The 4AD Sessions are an ongoing series of video recordings with various acts from the label's roster. Following on from the

session at the Studio Plateaux on Platts Eyott island in 2008, the recordings see 4AD artists performing back-catalogue covers and alternative versions of their own material. They are housed on the label's website.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Beggars Group Warner Records Alternative rock record labels British independent record labels Dream pop Electronic music record labels Indie rock record labels New wave record labels Post-punk record labels Record labels established in 1979 1980 establishments in England