Talitres, formerly known as Talitres Records, is a French
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 ...
based in Bordeaux, founded in 2000 and specializing in
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
and
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
. It began as a way to release music from
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
bands that were not distributed in France and Europe, and has expanded to include various artists from all around the world. The label has released notable records by
The National,
Motorama Motorama may refer to:
* General Motors Motorama, an auto show from 1949 to 1961
* ''Motorama'' (film), a 1991 film
* Motorama (band), a Russian post-punk band
{{disambig ...
,
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
,
François & the Atlas Mountains,
Emily Jane White, and many others.
[Talitres discography](_blank)
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Talitres' first release was Elk City's debut album in March 2001 and has gone on to release between 5 and 8 albums each year since then.
History
Talitres was founded in 2000 by Sean Bouchard and his friend Xavier Simon (who left shortly after to start his own record label Drunk Dog). Inspired by the likes of 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 ap ...
, Secretly Canadian or Bella Union
Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
History
After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twin ...
, Bouchard, a former agronomist, wanted to start a label that championed indie albums and artists that were virtually unknown to the general public in France and Europe and that were not released in these territories.
The label's first release was Elk City album Status, licensed from Parasol Records
Parasol Records is an American independent record label based in Urbana, Illinois. The label was founded by Geoff Merritt as an outgrowth of the catalog Parasol Mail Order (which was started in 1991).
The Parasol Records banner also includes the ...
for release in Europe. It was a reasonable success, gathering praise by specialist press and generalist media alike. Many of the following albums on Talitres' discography were released under the same licensing model that allowed to put out albums much faster while reducing costs, an ideal solution for these risky early days. However, the label has gradually departed from this model, preferring instead to sign production contracts when possible.
The notable releases came with The Walkmen debut album in 2002, The National Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers album in 2003 and Flotation Toy Warning Bluffer’s Guide To The Flight Deck in 2004, which gave the label its first international exposure and opened the gates for a wider repertoire of artists like The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.
Closely linked to the C86 scene ...
or The Organ, attracted by its growing notoriety and the developing touring opportunities that resulted from it.
In 2006, the shutdown of Talitres’ historical distributor Chronowax weakened the label and made it vulnerable. Understanding the need to diversify his income sources to survive, Bouchard rapidly began to handle the touring and booking of the artists himself. At the same time, he focused on the music publishing and licensing aspects in order to collect rights and royalties generated by public broadcasts and radio airplay. He also went on to develop and supervise the placement of songs from the catalogue in movies, advertising, documentaries and the whole TV network. Famous music placement include Ewert And The Two Dragons' song “In The End There's Only Love” in a McDonald's advertising campaign centered on the 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, Le Loup's “Morning Song” for a SFR commercial in 2014 and a 2016 sync of Motorama's song “Wind In Her Hair” in a cosmetics commercial by Garnier.
In 2008, the label made a pivotal move by signing folk songwriter Emily Jane White and releasing her album Dark Undercoat, which is still the biggest sale of the label to this day. Emily Jane White has so far released 5 albums on Talitres and is considered as one of the most emblematic artists of the label’s catalogue.
In March 2012, while visiting the Tallinn Music Week festival, Sean Bouchard stumbled upon the Russian post-punk band Motorama which was playing in a Design and Architecture gallery.[url=http://archive.tallinnmusicweek.ee/2012/artist_2012.php?nid=409] He signed them shortly after and released their second album, “Calendar”, in November 2012. Good reviews and extensive touring in various countries allowed the band to make an impact much beyond French boundaries and helped the label to reach a larger audience. Thanks to this success, Talitres signed a contract with American record distributor MVD and allowed the label to develop itself abroad.
Talitres has continued to sign various artists and currently has a roster of 19 active bands and has released near 100 albums.
Artists
Current Artists
Full Roster
See also
* List of record labels
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File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, ...
References
{{Authority control
French record labels
Indie pop record labels
Record labels established in 2001