Case Study of a record label - Rough Trade Records

 

Rough Trade Records is an independent record label, situated in London. Rough Trade was first established in 1978 by Geoff Travis when he opened up a record store in London. Steve Montgomery who was initially a customer of the shop was offered a job soon after it opened and became its co-manager. Geoff Travis and Steve Montgomery were joined by a further employee, Richard Scott, in June 1977.

In 1978, the shop began organising a record distribution network, named ‘The Cartel’, in partnership with other independent record stores in the UK. This network enabled small record labels such as Factory Records and 2 Tone Records to sell their releases nationally.

In 1979, Rough Trade's first album, Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers, reached number 14 in the UK charts and became the first independently released album to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK.

In 1982, the shop parted company with Rough Trade's music-making and distribution activities, after a decision was made to close the shop and staff asked to take it over.

In 1991, the label went bankrupt which consequently ruined many small record labels to which money was owed. Rough Trade was re-launched in 2000. In 2002, BMG bought out this business and in July 2007, Sanctuary Records then sold Rough Trade to the Beggars Group, making Rough Trade independent once again. Since its re-birth, Rough Trade has released albums by artists such as The Strokes, The Libertines, Babyshambles and Belle & Sebastian.