Jump to content

Beggars Group

Coordinates:51°27′31″N0°11′07″W/ 51.4585°N 0.1854°W/51.4585; -0.1854
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beggars Group
Founded1977
FounderMartin Mills
Distributor(s)
GenreVarious
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Location
Official websitebeggarsarchive.beggarsbeggarsgroup.cabeggarsgroup.debeatink

Beggars Groupis a Britishrecord company,founded byMartin Mills,that owns or holds stakes in variousrecord labels,including4AD,Rough Trade Records,[2]Matador Records,[3]XL Recordings,andYoung.

History

[edit]

The company had its origins in the Beggars Banquet record shops, which first opened in 1973 inEarls Court,London.In 1977, inspired by the DIY aesthetics of the Britishpunk rockmovement, which was at the height of its popularity, the shop founders decided to form an independent label and release records asBeggars Banquet Records.This became the group's flagship label and name.[4]

The first band on the label was EnglishpunkgroupThe Lurkers;the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' "Shadow" / "Love Story" 7-inch single.[4]Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits fromTubeway ArmyandGary Numanconfirmed the label's status in the industry.[4]Beggars Banquet later released music byBauhaus,Biffy Clyro,Buffalo Tom,The Charlatans,The Cult,The Fall,The Go-Betweens,The National,St. VincentandTindersticks

In August 2002, it was announced that Beggars Group had purchased a 50% stake inMatador Records.[5]In July 2007, it was reported that Beggars had purchasedRough Trade Records.[6]

The company owned a stake inSpotify,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.[7]

Ownership

[edit]

The Beggars Group has been in business for over forty years and is owned and managed byMartin Mills.As of 2017, the main labels that form the group are 4AD, Matador Records,[3]Rough Trade Records,[8]XL Recordings,[9]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Banquet itself andToo Pure,are now part of Beggars Arkive, which is the catalogue department for its labels that are no longer active.[10]

XL is a major owner of theRough Trade Shopschain, where Beggars directors own shares and oversee control.[11]

Independence

[edit]

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.[clarification needed][citation needed]The company has been active in promoting the collective interests of the sector, being a founding member of theAIM(UK) in 1999,IMPALA(Europe) in 2000,A2IM(USA) in 2005, and most recently the Worldwide Independent Network, which represent the independent music industry in each locality.[citation needed]The Beggars Group are also active members ofMerlin,the independents’ rights licensing body.[citation needed]

Martin Mills

[edit]

Martin Millsis an advocate for independent labels.[12][13]In 2011,The Guardiannamed him #22 in their "Music Power 100" list.[14]In 2012, he testified against the Universal Music Group-EMI merger at the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights hearing.[15]He was given the Industry Icon award byBillboardatMidemin 2013,[16]and the Pioneer Award at the 2014 AIM Independent Music Awards.[17]He has been listed on Billboard's "Power 100" several times including at 64th in 2013,[18]66th in 2014,[19]and 63rd in 2015.[20]Varietynamed him one of the International Music Leaders of 2018.[21]He is a founding member ofImpala,sits on the boards ofA2IM,Merlin,andAIM,and in 2018 was appointed Chair of the Worldwide Independent Network.[22]He has an estimated net worth of £230 million.[9]

Current group artists

[edit]

The main labels that constitute the Beggars Group are home to a range of artists, including:[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Beggars leaves ADA to join Redeye, alongside Domino, for physical distribution in the US".Music Business Worldwide.January 6, 2020.
  2. ^"Rough Trade join Beggars group of labels".The Line Of Best Fit. 2007-07-24.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  3. ^ab"Matador Joins Beggars Group of Labels; Beggars Group Purchases 50% of Matador - re> NEW YORK, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/".Prnewswire.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  4. ^abcLarkin, Colin (1992).The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music.Guinness Publishing.ISBN0-85112-579-4.
  5. ^Billboard: Beggars Purchases Half-Stake In Matador, 21 Aug 2002
  6. ^Billboard: Beggars Group Buys Rough Trade, 24 July 2007
  7. ^"Payday for music pioneer".The Sunday Times.28 July 2019. p. 1.
  8. ^"Beggars Group Buys Rough Trade".Billboard. 2007-07-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2018-06-25.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  9. ^abHall, James (2021-10-15)."Adele, Inc: why the music industry is banking on pop's $1.5 million-a-day woman".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved2023-04-30.
  10. ^Swash, Rosie (2008-04-30)."A farewell to Beggars Banquet's indie charms | Music".theguardian.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  11. ^"ROUGH TRADE RETAIL (UK) LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".find-and-update pany-information.service.gov.uk.Retrieved2023-04-30.
  12. ^"Martin Mills: 'Beggar' who does as he chooses".Telegraph. 2008-06-14.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  13. ^"News".HITS Daily Double.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  14. ^"Martin Mills | No 22".The Guardian.2011-05-26.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2023-04-30.
  15. ^"Exclusive: Beggars Group's Martin Mills On Testifying at Senate Universal-EMI Hearing".Billboard. 2012-06-20. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-06-03.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  16. ^"to Honor Beggars Group Chairman Martin Mills at MIDEM".Billboard. 2012-06-21. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-14.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  17. ^"Martin Mills to receive Pioneer Award at AIM Independent Music Awards".NME. 2014-07-12.Retrieved2015-05-06.
  18. ^"Billboard Power 100: Martin Mills".Billboard. 2013-02-02. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-26.Retrieved2015-05-06.
  19. ^"Power 100 - Martin Mills".Billboard. 2014-01-23. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-14.Retrieved2015-05-06.
  20. ^"Power 100 - Martin Mills".Billboard. 2015-05-02. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-05-21.Retrieved2015-05-06.
  21. ^"International Music Leaders of 2018".Variety Magazine. 2018-06-04.Retrieved2018-06-24.
  22. ^"WIN appoints Martin Mills as non-exec chair".Music Week. 2018-02-27.Retrieved2018-06-24.
  23. ^"Beggars Group".Beggars Group. 2014-02-13. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-22.Retrieved2014-02-13.
  24. ^"4AD artists".4ad.Retrieved2024-04-13.
  25. ^"Matador artists".matadorrecords.Retrieved2024-04-13.
  26. ^"How Queens Of The Stone Age Hit #1 On An Indie Label".Forbes.Retrieved2014-08-11.
  27. ^Payne, Chris (December 14, 2016)."Spoon Shares New Song, Will Return to Matador Records for March 2017 Album".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.RetrievedMay 24,2017.
  28. ^"Rough Trade artists".roughtraderecords.Retrieved2024-04-13.
  29. ^"Artists A-Z".xlrecordings.Retrieved2024-04-13.
  30. ^"Young artists".YOUNG.Retrieved2024-04-13.
[edit]

51°27′31″N0°11′07″W/ 51.4585°N 0.1854°W/51.4585; -0.1854

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beggars_Group&oldid=1254268370"