Beggars

The Beggars Group is the home of 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings and Young Turks.

The Beggars Group in the last decade has gone from strength to strength, not only confirming their position as one of the largest independent groups of labels in the world, but also, by allowing their artists the time to develop, affording them freedom and support, releasing the best the decade had to offer.

About

With origins stemming from the Beggars Banquet record shops in London, whose first branch opened in 1973 in Earls Court, the label was born in 1977 with the 7” release of the ‘Free Admission Single’ by The Lurkers.

Over forty successful years of trading later and still run by founder Martin Mills, Beggars Banquet has since graduated to the Beggars Group, home to five of the most recognizable independent record labels around – 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Young Turks. Each one is run independently of the other, with the Beggars Group owning 50% stakes in each except 4AD, which it now fully owns.

With its own worldwide network in place, unique 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, proud to be founding members of the Association of Independent Music (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.

In its life, the Group has had the privilege to release music from the diverse likes of Adele, Alabama Shakes, Anthony & The Johnsons, Ariel Pink, The Associates, Badly Drawn Boy, Basement Jaxx, Bauhaus, Beck, Beirut, Bon Iver, Biffy Clyro, The Birthday Party, The Breeders, British Sea Power, Buffalo Tom, David Byrne, Cat Power, The Charlatans, Chrome, Jarvis Cocker, Cocteau Twins, Cornershop, The Cult, Dead Can Dance, Deerhunter, Dizzee Rascal, The Fall, FKA Twigs, The Go-Betweens, Giggs, Grimes, PJ Harvey, The Hold Steady, The Horrors, The Libertines,The Lurkers, Lush, Mercury Rev, M.I.A., Interpol, The National, Nico, Gary Numan, Pavement, Pixies, The Prodigy, Purity Ring, Queens of the Stone Age, The Raconteurs, Radiohead, Red House Painters, Lou Reed, Saint Etienne, Savages, The Strokes, St. Vincent, This Mortal Coil, Tune-Yards, TV On The Radio, Vampire Weekend, Scott Walker, Warpaint, Jack White, The White Stripes, Wiley, The xx and Yo La Tengo, among countless others.

Most notable achievements for the Group in recent years include the XL (UK)-released albums from Adele, 19, 21 and 25; all worldwide smashes to say the least. The Group has also achieved three Number One albums in the US in recent years (Vampire Weekend twice and Queens of the Stone Age), a rare feat for an independent label.

Grammy® award winners

• 2017 – Best Alternative Music Album The National – Sleep Well Beast (4AD)
  
• 2013 – Best Alternative Music Album Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City (XL Recordings)
  

A2IM award winners

• 2018 – Best Jazz Album Kamasi Washington – The Harmony Of Difference – (Young Turks)
  
• 2018 – Best Rock Album The National – Sleep Well Beast – (4AD)
  
• 2018 – Best World Album Ibeyi – Ash – (XL Recordings)
  
• 2018 – Breakthrough Artist Princess Nokia – 1992 Deluxe – (Rough Trade Record)
  
• 2018 – Video Of The Year Perfume Genius – “Die 4 U” – (Matador Records)
  
• 2017 – Best Live Act Radiohead – (XL Recordings)
  
• 2017 – Marketing Genius The xx – I See You – (Young Turks)
  
• 2017 – Video Of The Year, Fan Vote Radiohead – “Daydreaming” – (XL Recordings)
  
• 2016 – Into The Pit Savages – (Matador Records)
  
• 2016 – Shifting Beats Jamie xx – Two Weeks (Young Turks)
  
• 2016 – Video Of The Year – Fan Vote Grimes – Kill V. Maim (4AD)
  
• 2015 – Video Of The Year FKA Twigs – Two Weeks (Young Turks)
  
• 2014 – Creative Packaging Award Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze Deluxe LP (Matador Records) by Stephen Powers/ESPO
  

Brit award winners

• 2017 – Brits Global Success Award – Adele
  
• 2016 – British Female Solo Artist – Adele
  
• 2016 – British Single – Adele – “Hello”
  
• 2016 – Mastercard British Album Of The Year – Adele – 25
  
• 2016 – Global Success – Adele
  
• 2013 – British Single – Adele
  
• 2012 – British Female Solo Artist – Adele
  
• 2012 – Mastercard British Album Of The Year – Adele
  
• 2008 – Critic’s Choice Award – Adele
  
• 2004 – Best British Dance Act – Basement Jaxx
  
• 2013 – Best International Group – The White Stripes
  
• 2002 – Best British Dance Act – Basement Jaxx
  
• 1999 – Best British Newcomer – Belle & Sebastian
  
• 1998 – Best British Dance Act – Prodigy
  
• 1997 – Best British Dance Act – Prodigy
  

AIM award winners

• 2017 – Independent Breakthrough Of The Year Sampha – (Young Turks)
  
• 2017 – Independent Track Of The Year The xx – “On Hold” – (Young Turks)
  
• 2016 – Best “Difficult” Second Album Daughter- Not To Disappear (4AD)
  
• 2016 – Independent Track Of The Year Adele – Hello (XL Recordings)
  
• 2016 – Pioneer Award Richard Russell, XL Recordings
  
• 2015 – Independent Track Of The Year – FKA Twigs – Two Weeks (Young Turks)
  
• 2015 – PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Act – Jungle (XL Recordings)
  
• 2014 – Pioneer Award – Martin Mills, Beggars Group
  
• 2013 – Best “Difficult” Second Album – The xx – Coexist (Young Turks)
  
• 2013 – Independent Track Of The Year – Vampire Weekend – Diane Young (XL Recordings)
  
• 2013 – Pioneer Award – Geoff Travis, Rough Trade
  
• 2012 – PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Act – Adele (XL Recordings)
  
• 2012 – Independent Label Of The Year 4AD
  
• 2011 – Best “Difficult” Second Album Adele – 21 (XL Recordings)
  
• 2011 – Catalogue Release Of The Year – Matador At 21 – Various Artists (Matador)
  
• 2011 – Independent Breakthrough Of The Year – SBTRKT (Young Turks)
  
• 2011 – PPL Award For Most Played Independent Act – Adele (XL Recordings)
  

Mercury Prize winners

• 2017 Sampha – Process (Young Turks)
  
• 2010 The xx – xx (Young Turks)
  
• 2005 Anthony And The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now (Rough Trade)
  
• 2003 Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (XL Recordings)
  
• 2000 Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (XL Recordings)
  

Polaris Prize winners

• 2016 Kaytranada – 99.9%
  
• 2009 Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life
  

Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songs Of The Century – So Far

Click here to read the full list

• #88 Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt” (XL Recordings)
  
• #74 The New Pornographers – “Letter From An Occupant” (Mint/Matador)
  
• #56 Radiohead – “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” (XL Recordings)
  
• #53 Grimes – “Oblivion” (4AD)
  
• #33 Radiohead – “Idioteque” (XL Recordings)
  
• #31 Arcade Fire – “Wake Up” (Rough Trade Records/Merge)
  
• #10 The Strokes – “Last Nite” (Rough Trade/RCA)
  
• #8 Adele – “Rolling In The Deep” (XL Recordings/Columbia)
  
• #3 The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (V2/XL Recordings)
  
• #2 M.I.A – “Paper Planes” (XL Recordings)
  

Key Releases 2000-2018

2000

• The Avalanches – Since I Left You (XL Recordings)
• Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (XL Recordings)
• Cat Power – The Covers Record (Matador)
• Lemon Jelly – Lemonjelly.ky (XL Recordings)
• Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador)

2001

• David Axelrod – David Axelrod (Mo’ Wax / XL)
• Basement Jaxx – Rooty (XL Recordings)
• The Strokes – Is This It (Rough Trade)
• The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (XL Recordings)

2002

• Badly Drawn Boy – About A Boy OST / Have You Fed The Fish? (XL Recordings)
• Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador)
• Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons (XL Recordings)
• The Libertines – Up The Bracket (Rough Trade)

2003

• Cat Power – You Are Free (Matador)
• Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (XL Recordings)
• Electric Six – Fire (XL Recordings)
• The Strokes – Room On Fire (Rough Trade)
• The White Stripes – Elephant (XL Recordings)

2004

• Arcade Fire – Funeral (Rough Trade)
• Biffy Clyro – Infinity Land (Beggars Banquet)
• Dizzee Rascal – Showtime (XL Recordings)
• Interpol – Antics (Matador)
• The Libertines – The Libertines (Rough Trade)
• The Prodigy – Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (XL Recordings)

2005

• Anthony And The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now (Rough Trade)
• Babyshambles – Down In Albion (Rough Trade)
• Basement Jaxx – The Singles (XL Recordings)
• M.I.A. – Arular (XL Recordings)
• The Prodigy – Their Law (XL Recordings)
• The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan (XL Recordings)

2006

• Beirut – Gulag Orkestar (4AD)
• Cat Power – The Greatest (Matador)
• The Strokes – First Impressions Of Earth (Rough Trade)
• Scott Walker – The Drift (4AD)
• Thom Yorke – The Eraser (XL Recordings)

2007

• Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English (XL Recordings)
• M.I.A. – Kala (XL Recordings)
• The National – Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
• Radiohead – In Rainbows (XL Recordings)
• The White Stripes – Icky Thump (XL Recordings)

2008

• Adele – 19 (XL Recordings)
• Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD)
• British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade)
• Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires (XL Recordings)
• Monkey – Monkey (XL Recordings)
• TV On The Radio – Dear Science (4AD)
• Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings)

2009

• Anthony And The Johnsons – The Crying Light (Rough Trade)
• The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love (4AD)
• The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL Recordings)
• Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
• Emiliana Torrini – Me And Armini (Rough Trade)
• Various Artists – Dark Was The Night (4AD)
• The xx – XX (Young Turks / XL Recordings)

2010

• Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here (XL Recordings)
• M.I.A. – /\/\ /\ Y /\ (XL Recordings)
• The National – High Violet (4AD)
• Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
• Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL Recordings)

2011

• Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD/Jagjaguwar)
• Fucked Up – David Comes To Life (Matador)
• Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here (XL Recordings)
• The Horrors – Skying (XL Recordings)
• SBTRKT– SBTRKT (XL Recordings)
• St.Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)
• tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l (4AD)
• Tyler, The Creator – Goblin (XL Recordings)

2012

• Cat Power – Sun (Matador)
• Grimes – Visions (4AD)
• Purity Ring – Shrines (4AD)
• Twin Shadow – Confess (4AD)
• Scott Walker – Bish Bosch (4AD)
• Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe (XL Recordings)
• The xx – Coexist (Young Turks / XL Recordings)

2013

• Atoms For Peace – AMOK (XL Recordings)
• Darkside – Psychic (Matador)
• Daughter – If You Leave (4AD/Glassnote)
• King Krule – Six Feet Beneath The Moon (True Panther)
• The National – Trouble Will Find Me (4AD)
• Queens Of The Stone Age – …Like Clockwork (Matador)
• Savages – Silence Yourself (Matador)
• Sigur Ros – Kveikur (XL Recordings)
• Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City (XL Recordings)
• Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador)
• Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador)

2014

• Ariel Pink – pom pom (4AD)
• Dean Blunt – Black Metal (Rough Trade)
• FKA Twigs – LP1 (Young Turks)
• Future Islands – Singles (4AD)
• Interpol – El Pintor (Matador)
• Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Wig Out At Jagbags (Matador)
• The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers (Matador)
• Perfume Genius – Too Bright (Matador)
• tUnE-yArDs – Nikki Nack (4AD)
• Scott Walker & SunnO))) – Soused (4AD)
• Warpaint – Warpaint (Rough Trade)

2015

• Adele – 25 (XL Recordings)
• Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color (Rough Trade)
• Algiers – Algiers (Matador)
• Beirut – No, No, No (4AD)
• Belle & Sebastian – Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance (Matador)
• Car Seat Headrest– Teens Of Style (Matador)
• Deerhunter – Fading Frontier (4AD)
• EL VY – Return To The Moon (4AD)
• Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie (Rough Trade)
• Grimes – Art Angels (4AD)
• Houndmouth – Little Neon Limelight (Rough Trade)
• Ibeyi – Ibeyi (XL Recordings)
• Jamie xx – In Colour (4AD)
• jennylee– right on! (Rough Trade)
• Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon (True Panther)
• Le1f – Riot Boi (Terrible/XL)
• Majical Cloudz – Are You Alone? (Matador)
• Purity Ring – Another Eternity (4AD)
• Ratatat – Magnifique (XL Recordings)
• Shamir – Ratchet (XL Recordings)
• Soak – Before We Forgot How To Dream (Rough Trade)
• Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin’ down (Matador)
• Yo La Tengo – Stuff Like That There (Matador)

2016

• Car Seat Headrest– Teens Of Denial (Matador)
• Lucy Dacus– No Burden (Matador)
• Steve Gunn– Eyes On The Lines (Matador)
• Tim Hecker– Love Streams (4AD)
• Lapsley– Long Way Home (XL Recordings)
• The Lemon Twigs– Do Hollywood (4AD)
• Pantha Du Prince– The Triad (Rough Trade)
• Parquet Courts– Human Performance (Rough Trade)
• Powell– Sport (XL Recordings)
• Radiohead– A Moon Shaped Pool (XL Recordings)
• Savages– Adore Life (Matador)
• Various– Day Of The Dead (4AD)
• Warpaint– Heads Up (Rough Trade)

2017

• Aldous Harding– Party (4AD)
• Algiers– The Underside Of Power (Matador)
• Arca– Arca (XL Recordings)
• Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile– Lotta Sea Lice (Matador)
• Future Islands– The Far Field (4AD)
• Ibeyi– Ash (XL Recordings)
• John Moreland– Big Bad Luv (4AD)
• Julien Baker– Turn Out The Lights (Matador)
• King Krule– The Ooz (True Panther)
• Lankum– Between The Earth And Sky (Rough Trade)
• The National– Sleep Well Beast (4AD)
• Perfume Genius– No Shape (Matador)
• Princess Nokia– 1992 Deluxe (Rough Trade)
• Queens Of The Stone Age– Villains (Matador)
• Radiohead– OKNOTOK 1997 2017 (XL Recordings
• Sampha– Process (Young Turks)
• Sleaford Mods– English Tapas (Rough Trade)
• Spoon– Hot Thoughts (Matador)
• Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister – Planetarium (4AD)
• The xx– I See You (Young Turks)
• This Is The Kit– Moonshine Freeze (Rough Trade)
• Torres– Three Futures (4AD)
• Wiki– No Mountains In Manhattan (XL Recordings)

2018

• Body/Head – (Matador)
  
• boygenius – (Matador)


• Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy (Matador)
  
• Everything Is Recorded – Richard Russell Presents… (XL Recordings)
  
• Gang Gang Dance – (4AD)
  
• Goat Girl – Goat Girl (Rough Trade)
  
• Gruff Rhys – (Rough Trade)
  
• Iceage – Beyondless (Matador)
  
• Interpol – (Matador)
  
• Jungle – (XL Recordings)
  
• Kamasi Washington – (Young Turks)
  
• Kurt Vile – (Matador)
  
• Lucy Dacus – Historian (Matador)
  
• Parquet Courts – Wide Awake! (Rough Trade)
  
• Snail Mail – (Matador)
  
• Starcrawler– Starcrawler (Rough Trade)
  
• Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – (Matador)
  
• The Breeders – All Nerve (4AD)
  
• The Lemon Twigs – (4AD)
  
• Thom Yorke – (XL Recordings)
  
• Tune-Yards – I can feel you creep into my private life (4AD)
  
• U.S Girls – In A Poem Unlimited (4AD)
  
• Yo La Tengo – There’s A Riot Going On (Matador)