Touch And Go Records shut down production, distribution

Iconic Chicago record label Touch And Go Records has announced that the company will stop signing new artists and releasing new albums. The 28 year-old label is responsible for landmark releases from the likes of Naked Raygun, Girls Against Boys, the Jesus Lizard and more. The company also provided manufacturing and distribution services for labels like Drag City, Flameshovel and Kill Rock Stars.


Effective immediately, T&G will fold their distribution company and instead operate as a catalog label. The company has also severed its ties with 20 independent labels and will shrink its staff to about 25 employees.



Founder Corey Rusk cited the economy as the main reason for the change and released this statement:

"It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records, and Quarterstick Records.



Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue this lesser known, yet important part of Touch and Go’s operations. Over the years, these labels have become part of our family, and it pains us to see them go. We wish them all the very best and we will be doing everything we can to help make the transition as easy as possible.



Touch and Go will be returning to its roots and focusing solely on being an independent record label. We’ll be busy for a few months working closely with the departing labels and scaling our company to an appropriate smaller size after their departure. It is the end of a grand chapter in Touch and Go’s history, but we also know that good things can come from new beginnings.



Touch and Go celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. It had grown from a bedroom operation designed expressly to put out a 7-inch single by the teenage Rusk’s hardcore band the Necros to a multimillion-dollar-a-year operation housed in a three-story 18,000-square-foot Ravenswood warehouse with 25 employees.Among the revered bands who have recorded for the label are Big Black, the Jesus Lizard, the Butthole Surfers, the Mekons, Slint, Calexico and TV on the Radio – virtually a Who’s Who of underground, punk and postpunk of the last three decades.



It’s not coming to an end, but it won’t be the same company it has been for the last 20 years."

Touch And Go will release all of the albums that were already scheduled for release through this spring.