<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough Trade Records</span>

Rough Trade Records

<p><b>Rough Trade Records</b> is an <a href="/en/Independent_record_label" title="Independent record label" class="wl">independent record label</a> based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by <a href="/en/Geoff_Travis" title="Geoff Travis" class="wl">Geoff Travis</a> who had opened <a href="/en/Rough_Trade_(shops)" title="Rough Trade (shops)" class="wl">a record store</a> off <a href="/en/Ladbroke_Grove" title="Ladbroke Grove" class="wl">Ladbroke Grove</a>. Having successfully promoted and sold records by <a href="/en/Punk_rock" title="Punk rock" class="wl">punk rock</a> and early <a href="/en/Post-punk" title="Post-punk" class="wl">post-punk</a> and <a href="/en/Indie_pop" title="Indie pop" class="wl">indie pop</a> bands such as <a href="/en/The_Normal" title="The Normal" class="wl">the Normal</a> and <a href="/en/The_Desperate_Bicycles" title="The Desperate Bicycles" class="wl">Desperate Bicycles</a>, Travis began to manage acts and distribute bands such as <a href="/en/Scritti_Politti" title="Scritti Politti" class="wl">Scritti Politti</a> and began the label, which was informed by left-wing politics and structured as a <a href="/en/Co-operative" title="Co-operative" class="mw-redirect wl">co-operative</a>. Soon after, Rough Trade also set up a distribution arm that serviced independent retail outlets across Britain, a network that became known as the <a href="/en/The_Cartel_(record_distributor)" title="The Cartel (record distributor)" class="wl">Cartel</a>. In 1983, Rough Trade signed <a href="/en/The_Smiths" title="The Smiths" class="wl">the Smiths</a>.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">English independent record label</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Rough Trade Records, Parent company, Founded,...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn org notheme" style="background-color: LightBlue">Rough Trade Records</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span><a href="/en/File:Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/93/Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg/150px-Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="281" data-file-height="210" data-file-type="drawing" height="112" width="150" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/93/Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg/225px-Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/93/Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg/300px-Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg.png 2x" alt="Rough_Trade_Records_logo.svg"></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Parent company</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Beggars_Group" title="Beggars Group" class="wl">Beggars Group</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Founded</th><td class="infobox-data">1976<span style="display:none"><span>&nbsp;</span>(<span class="bday dtstart published updated">1976</span>)</span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Founder</th><td class="infobox-data agent"><a href="/en/Geoff_Travis" title="Geoff Travis" class="wl">Geoff Travis</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Distributor(s)</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Beggars_Group" title="Beggars Group" class="wl">Beggars Group</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Genre</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/Indie_rock" title="Indie rock" class="wl">Indie rock</a>, <a href="/en/Rock_music" title="Rock music" class="wl">rock</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Country of origin</th><td class="infobox-data">U.K.</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Location</th><td class="infobox-data label"><a href="/en/London,_England" title="London, England" class="mw-redirect wl">London, England</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Official website</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="url"><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.roughtraderecords.com" class="external text" target="_blank">www<wbr>.roughtraderecords<wbr>.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>

<p>Interest and investment of major labels in the UK indie scene in the late 1980s, as well as overtrading on behalf of Rough Trade's distribution wing, led to cash flow problems, and eventually to bankruptcy, forcing the label into <a href="/en/Official_Receiver" title="Official Receiver" class="mw-redirect wl">receivership</a>. However, Travis resurrected the label in the late 1990s, finding success with <a href="/en/The_Libertines" title="The Libertines" class="wl">the Libertines</a>, <a href="/en/The_Strokes" title="The Strokes" class="wl">the Strokes</a> and <a href="/en/Antony_and_the_Johnsons" title="Antony and the Johnsons" class="wl">Antony and the Johnsons</a>. The roster has been diverse, ranging stylistically through <a href="/en/Alternative_rock" title="Alternative rock" class="wl">alternative rock</a>, post-punk and <a href="/en/New_wave_music" title="New wave music" class="wl">new wave</a>, <a href="/en/Garage_rock" title="Garage rock" class="wl">garage rock</a>, and <a href="/en/Psychedelic_rock" title="Psychedelic rock" class="wl">psychedelic rock</a>, but also <a href="/en/Art_pop" title="Art pop" class="wl">art pop</a>, <a href="/en/Folk_music" title="Folk music" class="wl">folk</a>, <a href="/en/Electronic_music" title="Electronic music" class="wl">electronic</a>, and <a href="/en/Soul_music" title="Soul music" class="wl">soul</a>.</p>



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. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-punk and indie pop bands such as the Normal and Desperate Bicycles, Travis began to manage acts and distribute bands such as Scritti Politti and began the label, which was informed by left-wing politics and structured as a co-operative. Soon after, Rough Trade also set up a distribution arm that serviced independent retail outlets across Britain, a network that became known as the Cartel. In 1983, Rough Trade signed the Smiths. Interest and investment of major labels in the UK indie scene in the late 1980s, as well as overtrading on behalf of Rough Trade's distribution wing, led to cash flow problems, and eventually to bankruptcy, forcing the label into receivership. However, Travis resurrected the label in the late 1990s, finding success with the Libertines, the Strokes and Antony and the Johnsons. The roster has been diverse, ranging stylistically through alternative rock, post-punk and new wave, garage rock, and psychedelic rock, but also art pop, folk, electronic, and soul. 