Touch and Go Records Closes a Few Doors

Touch and Go Records, that purveyor of indie rock based in the heartland of America, is closing up shop--or at least closing a few of the shop doors. Very soon--the exact date is still unknown--the Chicago label will stop issuing new albums, focusing instead on the distribution of its back catalog.

Aversion Music News has more:

The Chicago indie label, which launched in 1981, will scale back operations after its next batch of new releases hits stores, Billboard reports. The labels that piggybacked Touch and Go Distribution will also be forced to find new distributors. Label sources cite everyone's favorite handy excuse for everything, economic turbulence, as the source of the shutdown.

For anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s, the loss of T&G will be particularly poignant. Along with labels like Matador, K, Up, and RoughTrade, Touch and Go was a name indie kids could trust. Often when browsing the local used CD shop's plenitude, I would flip the plastic case over and look for the label's name before I so much as glanced at the name of the band. It was through Touch and Go I discovered Seam, Shellac, Don Caballero, and The Jesus Lizard.

It started in 1979 by kids bored with punk, but really got going in the early 80s when Necros bassist Corey Rusk joined in. Touch and Go pursued a relaxed approach to recording contracts, characterized by handshake deals providing for a 50-50 split of profits between artist and label after promotion and production costs. In this way, the label built a respected catalogue of influential punk and alternative artists. It would be regrettable if the floundering economy was responsible for the label's total disappearance. Here's hoping Touch and Go doesn't up-and-go completely.

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