| Stiff Records | |
| Parent: | Universal Music Group (label) Concord (American back catalogue) |
| Founded: | August 1976 |
| Status: | Active |
| Distributor: | Universal Music Group |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.
Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff signed various punk rock and new wave acts such as Nick Lowe, the Damned, Lene Lovich, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and Devo, also signing artists with significant crossover appeal such as Motörhead, Larry Wallis and Mick Farren. In the 1980s, with most of their early signings having moved on, the label found commercial success with Madness, The Pogues, Tracey Ullman, The Belle Stars, Kirsty MacColl and others.
In December 2017, Universal Music Group acquired Stiff Records and ZTT Records.[1] Razor & Tie, a division of the Concord Music Group, holds the American rights to the Stiff catalogue.[2] The British rights to the Stiff catalogue were held by BMG Rights Management under Union Square Music until 2022, when Universal relaunched the Stiff and ZTT labels.
Robinson and Riviera were well-known London music business characters. Robinson had briefly worked for Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s and also managed minor pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz in the early 1970s, in which Nick Lowe was the bassist, vocalist and main songwriter; while Riviera had been an early manager for another pub rock band, Dr. Feelgood, from Essex.[3] The label was started with a loan of £400 from Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood.[4]
Originally, Stiff had been called Demon, but the phrase "It’s a stiff!" was more appropriate for the artists on the record label.[5] Stiff found quick success. Its first release, on 14 August 1976, was a single (in the normal 7" vinyl 45 rpm format) by Nick Lowe, "So It Goes", B-side "Heart of the City",[3]
