Stiff Records

Stiff Records
Parent companyUniversal Music Group (label)
Concord (American back catalogue)
FoundedAugust 1976[1]
Founder
  • Dave Robinson
  • Jake Riviera
StatusActive
Distributor(s)Universal Music Group
Genre
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Official websitestiff-records.com

Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, 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.[2] Razor & Tie, a division of the Concord Music Group, holds the American rights to the Stiff catalogue.[3] 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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference debt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Universal Music Acquires Iconic British Labels Stiff Records and ZTT". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Home | Facebook". Stiff-records.com. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2020.