The Birth of Independent labels circa 1977

Sid Vicious: poster boy for punk

The year was 1977. Safety pins and studs became the must have accessory and the music press and the establishment was given a shock treatment by Punk. It was also the year that the independent record label was born. When Punk came screaming and howling into the music world, large record companies such as EMI had to make room for the likes of independent labels like Island and Virgin. Now I don’t know about you but I find it weird that Richard Branson signed the Sex Pistols, the poster boys for punk, to Virgin seeing as they are now everything that the Pistols rebelled against, but that is a different blog story all together. After Island and Virgin came Stiff, Chiswick, and more recently, Rough Trade Records.

So, the Sex Pistols belonged to Branson and his cronies at Virgin, CBS had the Clash and the Buzzcocks and Polydor had dibs on Siouxsie and the Banshees. Keeping up so far? Good.
Let’s look at Stiff records. Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman (aka Jake Riviera) formed Stiff Records in 1976. Established at the beginning of the punk rock explosion, they embodied the spirit of punk and the true meaning of independent labels. The Pink Fairies, the Belle Stars and The Pogues were all released on Stiff and the label's marketing and advertising was often provoking and witty and an ambush of puns were born from the name “Stiff” and the slogan "If it ain't Stiff it aint worth a fuck" is now legendary.

Every town and city in Britain had its favourite band and any one of these bands could make up to 1000 records. With the help of word of mouth and fanzines (not much of them around anymore!) the bands could sell their precious tape/vinyl (yeah no CDs in those days!) to the masses. If, like the Pistols, national radio wouldn’t play your songs, your one shot at getting any airplay at all was the John Peel show that showcased so many bands that no one else would touch.

Scotland and the rest of the UK soon got in on the act. Scotland had Sensible Records who introduced the world to Fay Fife and The Rezillos. Rabid, hailing from Manchester, had Gyro, Slaughter and the Dogs, the Nosebleeds and John Cooper Clarke. Over in Ireland, the Good Vibrations label was already producing quality records and they displayed this with releases from The Undertones, Protex and X-Dreamists.

Many people may have hated Punk and everything that it stood for but there is no denying that it changed the face of music and the music industry. I salute you, Punk Rock, the labels and the bands that were born from the movement that were all in it not for the money but for the glory alone. Punk Rocks!