Beggars Group is a British

record company "Big Three" music labels 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 t ...

, founded by

Martin Mills Martin Mills (born 12 May 1949) is the founder and chairman of the Beggars Group. Early life Mills grew up near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and comes from an "upper-middle-class English family". His father worked as a civil servant and his mothe ...

, that owns or holds stakes in various

record labels "Big Three" music labels 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 t ...

, including

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. 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. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

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. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

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 ...

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...

, and

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

History

The company had its origins in the Beggars Banquet record shops, which first opened in 1973 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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1977, inspired by the DIY aesthetics of the British

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

movement, which was at the height of its popularity, the shop founders decided to form 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 D ...

. This became the group's flagship label and name. The first band on the label was English

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

group

The Lurkers The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They were the first group to be on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also chart ...

; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' "Shadow"/ "Love Story" 7-inch single. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits from

Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave music, 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 music, electronic sound. They were the first band of the elect ...

and

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...

confirmed the label's status in the industry. Beggars Banquet later released music by

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., ...

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

Buffalo Tom Buffalo Tom is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz who also sings the majority of lead vocals, bassist and singer Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginn ...

, The Charlatans,

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

, The Fall,

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 (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...

, 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. The ...

. In August 2002, it was announced that Beggars Group had purchased a 50% stake in

.Billboard: Beggars Purchases Half-Stake In Matador, 21 Aug 2002
/ref> In July 2007, it was reported that Beggars had purchased

.Billboard: Beggars Group Buys Rough Trade, 24 July 2007
/ref> The company owned a stake in

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

, but sold their shares in 2019. Although the full amount received was never disclosed, half of the earnings were distributed amongst the label's artists, while £8m went to Martin Mills.

Ownership

The Beggars Group has been in business for over forty years and is owned and managed by

. 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 Records 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 studio album ''Dry (album), Dry'' in 1992, and subsequently found f ...

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

Rough Trade Shops Rough Trade is a retail chain of record shops in the United Kingdom and the United States with headquarters in London. The first Rough Trade shop was opened in 1976 by Geoff Travis in the Ladbroke Grove district of West London. Travis reported ...

chain, where Beggars directors own shares and oversee control.

Independence

With a worldwide network in place, Beggars Group has three offices in London, two of which also house recording studios, two in the US in New York and Los Angeles, and a dedicated office in every major territory. The company has been active in promoting the collective interests of the sector, being a founding member of the

AIM AIM or Aim may refer to: Computing * AIM alliance, an Apple-IBM-Motorola alliance * AIM (software), AOL Instant Messenger * Fortyfive, a Japanese software development company previously known as AIM Military * Abrams Integrated Management, an ...

(UK) in 1999,

IMPALA The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

(Europe) in 2000, A2IM (USA) in 2005, and most recently the Worldwide Independent Network, which represent the independent music industry in each locality. The Beggars Group are also active members of

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

, the independents’ rights licensing body.

Current group artists

The main labels that constitute the Beggars Group are home to a range of artists, including:

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Aldous Harding Hannah Sian Topp (born 1990), known professionally as Aldous Harding, is a New Zealand indie folk singer-songwriter, based in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Career One of the first musicians who came across her was New Zealand folk-pop singer-songwrit ...

* Anjimile * Atlas Sound * Bartees Strange * Becky and the Birds *

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 ...

* Bing & Ruth * Buck Meek * cumgirl8 *

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* Erika de Casier * Ex:Re *

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 ...

* HAWA * Helado Negro *

Holly Herndon Holly Herndon (born 1980) is an American artist and composer based in Berlin, Germany. After studying composition at Stanford University and completing her Ph.D. at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, she ...

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* Lucinda Chua * Maria Somerville * SOHN *

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 ( ...

* The Golden Dregs * The National *

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* Tune-Yards * U.S. Girls * Velvet Negroni

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Bar Italia Bar Italia is an Italian café located on Frith Street in the Soho district of London. Location and notable events On 26 January 1926, John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television at 22 Frith Street, the building where ...

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...

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Car Seat Headrest Car Seat Headrest is an American indie rock band formed in Leesburg, Virginia, and currently located in Seattle, Seattle, Washington. The band consists of Will Toledo (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizers), Ethan Ives (guitar, bass, backing voca ...

* Circuit des Yeux * Darkside *

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* Horsegirl *

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Julien Baker Julien Rose Baker (born 1995) is an American indie rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her music is noted for its moody quality and confessional lyrical style, as well as frank explorations of topics including Christianity, addiction, mental ...

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* Lucy Dacus *

Mdou Moctar Mahamadou Souleymane (born 1984), known professionally as Mdou Moctar (also M.dou Mouktar), is a Nigerien guitarist, singer and songwriter who performs modern rock music inspired by Tuareg guitar music. His music first gained attention through a ...

* Muzz * Pavement * Perfume Genius *

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...

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* Steve Gunn * Water from Your Eyes *

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (Spanish language, Spanish for "I've got it"; also abbreviated as YLT) is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley ...

* A. Savage *

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* Arthur Russell *

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* Caroline *

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* Delays * Gilla Band * Goat Girl *

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* JARV IS... *

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* Lisa O'Neill *

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* Pinegrove *

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* SOAK * Special Interest *

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* Warpaint

* Arca *

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* Blawan *

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* CASISDEAD * Charlotte Day Wilson * Everything Is Recorded * Fabiana Palladino * Fontaines D.C. * Ibeyi * Jai Paul * John FM * Joy Orbison *

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* LSDXOXO * Makaya McCraven * M.I.A. * Not Dvr * Nourished by Time * Overmono *

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* Sam Morton * Skiifall * Smerz * The Smile *

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* James William Blades * Ethan P. Flynn *

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the indie pop band the xx. He has been described as a " ...

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* Mustafa * Oliver Sim *

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Romy Romy is a given name, often a diminutive form of names such as Rosemary or Roman or Romeo. https://nameberry.com/babyname/romy/boy People with the name include: Men * Romy Cachola, nickname of Romeo Munoz Cachola, Philippines-born Hawaiian poli ...

* Sampha *

The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), ...

References

External links

*
Canadian website
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