Beggars Group is a British record company that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Young.
History
Founded by Martin Mills, Beggars' roots stem from the Beggars Banquet record shops, which first opened in 1973 with a shop in Earls Court, London. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), the shop founders decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records as Beggars Banquet Records, which became the group's flagship label and namesake. The first band on the label was English punk group The Lurkers; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' punk classic "Shadow"/"Love Story" 7" single. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits with Tubeway Army and Gary Numan secured the label's future. Beggars Banquet then went on to release music by Bauhaus, Biffy Clyro, Buffalo Tom, The Charlatans, The Cult, The Fall, The Go-Betweens, The National, St. Vincent and Tindersticks.
In August 2002, it was announced that Beggars Group had purchased a 50% stake in Matador Records.
In 2007, it was reported that Beggars had purchased Rough Trade Records.
Beggars owned a stake in Spotify, selling it in 2019, the full amount not known but 50% shared amongst Beggars artists and £8m going to Martin Mills.
Ownership
The Beggars Group has been in business for over forty years and is owned and managed by Martin Mills. Its musical focus remains fiercely alternative. 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Banquet itself and Too Pure, are now part of Beggars Arkive, which is the catalogue department for its labels that are no longer active.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 chain, where Beggars directors own shares and oversee control.
Independence
With a worldwide network in place, unusual in the independent sector, the Group now has three offices in London (two of which also house recording studios), two in the US (New York and Los Angeles), and a dedicated office in every major territory. The company has also been actively involved in helping to promote the collective interests of the sector, being founding members of the AIM (UK) in 1999, IMPALA (Europe) in 2000, A2IM (USA), and most recently the Worldwide Independent Network, each of which represent the interests of the independent music industry. The Beggars Group are also active members of Merlin, the independents’ rights licensing body.
Martin Mills
Martin Mills is an active advocate for independent labels. He has testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights hearing against the Universal Music Group-EMI merger. In 2011, The Guardian named him #22 in their "Music Power 100". He was given the "Industry Icon" award by Billboard (magazine) at Midem in 2013, and the Pioneer Award at the 2014 AIM Independent Music Awards. He has been listed on Billboard's "Power 100" several times including #63 in 2015, #66 in 2014, and #64 in 2013. Variety Magazine named him one of the International Music Leaders of 2018. He is a founding member of Impala, on the boards of A2IM, Merlin, and AIM, and in 2018 was appointed to a new role, Chair of WIN, the Worldwide Independent Network representing the interests of the global independent music community. He has a fortune of £230 million.
Current group artists
The main labels that are part of the Beggars Group are home to a range of artists including:
4AD
Aldous Harding
Atlas Sound
Beirut
Bing & Ruth
Bon Iver (in Europe only; Jagjaguwar in US) The Breeders Camera Obscura Daughter David Byrne & St. Vincent Deerhunter D.D Dumbo Efterklang (worldwide through 4AD; Rumraket in Scandinavia) EL VY Future Islands Gang Gang Dance Grimes Holly Herndon Tim Hecker Iron & Wine (in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia; Warner Bros. in North America) John Moreland The Lemon Twigs LNZNDRF Merchandise Methyl Ethel The National Pixx Purity Ring SOHN Torres Tune-Yards U.S. Girls Scott Walker