Distributor(s) Sony, PIAS Location London, England Founded 1991 | Genre Indie rock Founder Saul Galpern | |
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Status Defunct
Filed for voluntary liquidation in December 2001
Dissolved 2007 Artists Suede, Billy Mackenzie, The Jennifers, Lowgold, Goya Dress Albums Dog Man Star, Coming Up, Head Music, Suede, Everything Picture | ||
Nude Records was a London-based independent record label, set up in August 1991 by Saul Galpern, who had previously worked with artists such as Simply Red, The Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and Au Pairs.
Contents
History
The label's first success was with Suede, whose debut album, Suede (1993), debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, and was the fastest-selling debut album since Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome almost ten years earlier. The band went on to win the Mercury Prize that year, and received five Brit Awards nominations. They had three No. 1 hits in the UK Albums Chart. Other artists with chart success signed to the label included the Scottish band Geneva, who had Top 20 success with their debut album Further; Black Box Recorder who also achieved a Top 20 hit single and album with The Facts of Life (2000); plus chart album hits for Ultrasound, Lowgold, and Billy Mackenzie.
The label had a UK distribution deal with 3mv/Vital (later Pinnacle distribution) and an international licensing arrangement with Sony, which ended in 2000, before moving to PIAS. Subsequently, the label hit financial difficulties in 2000. In December 2001, after losing their distribution deal with Sony. Another new label saving deal with Zomba fell through at the last minute. The collapse of the label led to delays with Black Box Recorder's second album, Passionoia, which was not released until 2003. It was believed Suede would be unaffected by the closure of the label as Nude's international partner label Sony would release their next album, A New Morning.
Nude Records returned briefly in 2005 via a deal with V2 which saw the release of the compilation album, Future's Burning. It featured songs from up-and-coming British bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, The Libertines, Razorlight and others (although none of the artists had ever been signed to Nude). However, The Independent commented that it was "easily surpassed by an hour on iTunes" and the label was officially dissolved in July 2007.
In 2010, Galpern continued the Nude brand by establishing a management company, Nude Music Group, after securing a management role with the American band, Mona.
Artists
The following list features the notable artists and bands who released music through Nude Records. The artists appear in chronological order of their first release (single or album) for the label. This list is probably incomplete. Bands from the Future's Burning compilation are not included.