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42-430: They were the first Canadian band signed to Stiff Records , although the label was going through financial problems and never released an album by the band. The original band consisted of vocalist Nick Jones, guitarist Bill Napier-Hemy, bassist Tony Bardach and drummer Ian Tiles. Keyboard player Gord Nicholl joined soon after. Johnny Ferreira later joined on saxophone , Bardach was replaced by Scott Watson on bass, and Tiles

84-555: A Vancouver benefit concert for Japan earthquake relief on May 12, 2011. "Three Lefts Make a Right" was mixed by Vancouver's Mike Fraser . The complete Stiff Sessions recordings were released on CD in Japan in 2008, on the Base label. A third full-length album titled Pointed Sticks was released on the Northern Electric label via Sudden Death Distribution. The Pointed Sticks were featured in

126-472: A cloud. The Island deal failed and Dave Robinson regained control of the newly independent label in 1985. Hits by The Pogues and Furniture helped Stiff to survive another twenty months, but the underlying causes for the failure of the Island deal finally became too burdensome for Stiff and it was sold to ZTT in 1987. In 2007, ZTT and its parent company SPZ Group reactivated the label. Stiff quickly broke one of

168-616: A division of the Concord Music Group , holds the American rights to the Stiff catalogue. 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. Robinson and Riviera were well-known London music business characters. Robinson had briefly worked for Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s and also managed minor pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz in

210-607: A key driver of BMG's expansion during his time as Chief Financial Officer, Bertelsmann again cited music as one of its strategic growth areas. In 2013, the company began to represent rights to songs by Robbie Williams and the Rolling Stones . Record labels were also added to the portfolio including Union Square Music (distributor of Universal Music 's ZTT Records and Stiff Records ), Vagrant Music and Infectious Music (2014), as well as S-Curve Records and Rise Records (2015). Other acquisitions followed in 2016, including

252-487: A short movie directed by Jeff Baynes. The movie has not been released for sale, but was shown on BBC4 in September 2006. The label's marketing and advertising was often provocative and witty, billing itself as "The World's Most Flexible Record Label". Other slogans were " We came. We saw. We left ", "If It Ain't Stiff, It Ain't Worth a Fuck", and "When You Kill Time, You Murder Success" (printed on promotional wall clocks). On

294-673: A similar deal was made with Arista who released Ian Dury 's first album and the Live Stiffs Live album. The deal was short-lived and Stiff then made a deal with CBS Records for Stiff releases in the United States, at both the Columbia and Epic subsidiaries on the Stiff/Columbia and Stiff/Epic labels. Robinson and Riviera were a fiery management combination, and after a series of disagreements, Riviera left Stiff in early 1978 to form

336-521: A tour of Japan, and continued to play sporadic concerts in Canada and the United States. In 2009 the band recorded an album of all new material, Three Lefts Make A Right , released November 1 of that year on Northern Electric records. The band returned to Japan in August 2010 with support from a re-united Dishrags, their all female contemporaries from the original Vancouver Punk scene. Pointed Sticks participated in

378-644: A video of the tour were produced, but the tour only covered the UK. After the departure of Riviera, Robinson arranged a second tour, the Be Stiff or the Be Stiff Route 78 tour, from October to November 1978 (UK), again comprising five acts; Wreckless Eric, Lene Lovich , Jona Lewie , Mickey Jupp , and Rachel Sweet . The mainland section of the UK tour was undertaken by train and the Irish section by coach, and then continued on to

420-563: Is present in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, the Benelux countries, the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia. BMG's senior management includes Thomas Coesfeld ( Chief Executive Officer ), Mathis Wolter ( Chief Financial Officer ), Ama Walton ( General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer ) and Ben Katovsky ( Chief Operating Officer ). Masuch has been a member of Bertelsmann's Group Management Committee since 2013. In

462-483: The Nashville music industry and its overall impact on the United States market. In 2022, BMG announced its first new British record label within the group since 2009, Tag8 Music. This label was set up in association with ex-Bros member Craig Logan and his management company Logan Media Entertainment, with Tag8 Music featuring established acts such as Pixie Lott, Roachford, and Louise Redknapp as part of its roster. On

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504-507: The United Kingdom 's first punk single, " New Rose " by The Damned , on 22 October 1976. Early in 1977, Stiff Records picked up speed, signing Wreckless Eric , Ian Dury , and Elvis Costello , who had once been a part-time roadie for Brinsley Schwarz . Bigger sales followed, and a distribution deal with Island Records through EMI was set up. After arranging for Costello and Lowe to be signed directly to CBS Records ' Columbia label,

546-562: The 1975 Naughty Rhythms tour ‒ for acts they managed before forming Stiff. The first tour, known as the Live Stiffs Tour or 5 Live Stiffs (3 October – 5 November 1977), comprised five bands: Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Wreckless Eric and The New Rockets, Nick Lowe 's Last Chicken in the Shop, and Larry Wallis 's Psychedelic Rowdies. Having signed all

588-497: The 2010 documentary film Bloodied but Unbowed , directed by Susanne Tabata. The band gets its name from dialogue in a famous sketch by Monty Python , "Self-Defence Against Fresh Fruit," wherein Eric Idle repeatedly suggests that learning to defend against something like a pointed stick might be more useful than defending against fresh fruit. They chose this name after discovering that their first six choices had all been taken. At

630-502: The 2018 financial year, BMG posted revenues of €545 million. Rights and licenses accounted for 91.1% and products and merchandise 8.9%. Almost half of its revenues (44.1%) were generated in the United States. Other important markets were the United Kingdom (24.7%), Germany (6.3%) and France (3.9%). BMG offers musicians the services generally provided by music publishers and record labels. Unlike its major competitors, it runs them under

672-599: The Chinese market in cooperation with Alibaba , allowing the online company to distribute the work of musicians and composers via its web channels while securing copyrights. In the 2015 financial year, BMG was part of the Corporate Investments division at Bertelsmann. In 2016, the media group turned the subsidiary into a stand-alone division. Today, BMG is considered a prime example of how growth platforms are created and leveraged at Bertelsmann. In 2017, BMG announced

714-548: 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 . Razor & Tie ,

756-477: The Official Albums Chart Top 100 of 4 November 2022, the label charted its first hit album in the form of Blue's Heart & Soul . In October 2023, BMG signed with Universal Music Group for physical distribution, and started self-distributing its own catalog on digital platforms, thus ending their partnership with Warner Music. The transition of physical distribution to Universal took place over

798-500: The UK's hottest new indie acts, The Enemy . It then released a string of well-received albums of new work from legacy Stiff artists, including as Wreckless Eric , Henry Priestman , Any Trouble , and Chris Difford . Brand new acts signed to the label included The Tranzmitors and Eskimo Disco. Swedish designer Tobbe Stuhre was appointed official Stiff Records designer. In 2008, Union Square Music released The Big Stiff Box Set . Robinson and Riviera had arranged package tours ‒ such as

840-626: The USA without Jupp, who was afraid of flying. The artists contributed to an EP with cover versions of the Devo song, and early Stiff single, " Be Stiff ". The final tour, the Son of Stiff Tour 1980 , comprised Ten Pole Tudor , Any Trouble , Dirty Looks, Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns , and The Equators. Undertaken by bus, this European tour was not successful. The tour led to a 12" EP Son of Stiff Tour 1980 (SON 1) and

882-491: The United States. Bertelsmann acquired Arista Records in 1979 and RCA Records in 1985, thereby becoming one of the world's largest music companies. Its various subsidiaries were brought together in 1987 to form Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), which did business in a number of genres, including folk , pop , and in particular classical music . In response to declining sales in the overall music market, Bertelsmann agreed to merge its record label interests with Sony in 2003;

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924-548: The beginning of their career they were briefly known as "Ernie Dick and the Pointed Sticks". Stiff Records 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 ,

966-520: The company was called Sony BMG. Furthermore, in 2006, Bertelsmann sold its subsidiary BMG Music Publishing to Universal Music Group . Having reached the conclusion that established music publishing companies and record labels were not appropriate for an increasingly digital music business, Bertelsmann sold its stake in the Sony BMG joint venture in 2008. The company was subsequently renamed Sony Music Entertainment . In October 2008, Bertelsmann launched

1008-517: The course of 2024 and is set to officially change over in October of 2024. BMG's parent enterprise is BMG Rights Management GmbH, a limited liability company according to German law. The company's objective is "the marketing of music, as well as its development and delivery" for use in media, at concerts and for other purposes. BMG has numerous subsidiaries and shareholdings , for example, BMG Rights Management (Europe) GmbH. In addition to Germany, BMG

1050-529: The deal subject to some conditions, including the sale of several labels. BMG was thus able to acquire Mute Records (2012) and Sanctuary Records (2013), as well as the publishing catalogues of EMI Virgin Music and Famous Music UK from Sony/ATV. In 2013, KKR sold its stake in BMG to Bertelsmann, making it the sole shareholder of the company. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Thomas Rabe , who had been

1092-458: The early 1970s, in which Nick Lowe was the bassist, vocalist and main songwriter; while Riviera had been an early manager for another pub rock band, Dr. Feelgood , from Essex. The label was started with a loan of £400 from Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood. Originally, Stiff had been called Demon, but the phrase "It’s a stiff!" was more appropriate for the artists on the record label. Stiff found quick success. Its first release, on 14 August 1976,

1134-438: The halcyon period, with many Top 20 single chart placings, including the label's first No. 1 single, " Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick " by Ian Dury, and a number of other big-selling albums. Stiff expanded rapidly and moved its premises twice. It also continued to release dozens of obscure and uncommercial releases. For example, Stiff Records released the parody album The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan . That LP, on Magic Records,

1176-433: The investment firm KKR held 51% of the company, which became one of the world's largest music publishers during that time. BMG is 100% owned by Bertelsmann and one of the group's eight business divisions. In the 1950s, Bertelsmann entered the music business when it added music to its book club. Ariola , a record label, was launched and Sonopress , a pressing plant, was established. In 1975, Ariola opened an office in

1218-459: The label ARC Music and the catalog of The End Records . By acquiring Basement, BMG entered the market in Brazil, one of Bertelsmann's growth regions. In 2016, the company also signed an agreement with Warner Music's Alternative Distribution Alliance for the physical and digital distribution of music, allowing BMG to consolidate its longstanding sales structures. BMG further expanded by entering

1260-588: The label of Stiff's sampler compilation Heroes & Cowards was printed: "In '78 everyone born in '45 will be 33-1/3 ". A very early Stiff sampler album, A Bunch of Stiff Records , introduced the slogan, "If they're dead, we'll sign them" and "Undertakers to the Industry". Stiff also produced eccentric but highly effective promotional campaigns, such as the three package tours in 1977 (Live Stiffs), 1978 (Be Stiff) and 1980 (Son of Stiff), Elvis Costello's " street performance outside CBS Records. Barney Bubbles

1302-421: The named artists as individuals, bands had to be formed in order to tour: these were largely based on the session musicians used for the artists' solo records. There were 18 musicians on the tour, several doubling up, e.g. Dury playing drums for Wreckless Eric while the last two "bands" had the same line up (Nick Lowe, Larry Wallis, Dave Edmunds , Terry Williams , Pete Thomas and Penny Tobin). The original idea

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1344-410: The new BMG with a small portfolio of recorded music rights of around 200 artists it retained from Sony BMG. It declared it would pursue a business model focused on fairness, service and transparency. The launch of the new BMG came amidst the 2008 financial crisis, and within two weeks of the collapse of Lehman Brothers . Since Bertelsmann could not supply the required funds on its own, a 51% stake

1386-415: The purchase of BBR Music Group , including the labels Broken Bow Records, Red Bow Records, Stoney Creek Records, Wheelhouse Records and the music publisher Magic Mustang Music. With a value of more than 100 million dollars , the transaction was the largest recorded music acquisition in the company's history. BMG thus improved its position in the country music segment and ensured its long-term presence in

1428-475: The short-lived Radar Records , taking Elvis Costello , Nick Lowe and Yachts with him as a settlement package. Riviera's departure coincided with the end of the "5 Live Stiffs Tour", which showcased emerging star Ian Dury . Dury's album New Boots & Panties!! had raced up the charts and its sales kept the label in business over the following months. In 1979, Robinson signed Madness , and Madness released albums from 1979 to 1984. The next few years were

1470-463: Was a single (in the normal 7" vinyl 45 rpm format) by Nick Lowe , " So It Goes ", B-side "Heart of the City", with the striking catalogue number BUY 1. That record sold 10,000 copies, but Stiff's next release, "Between The Lines" by Pink Fairies , sold only around half of that. Robinson and Riviera used money from their Advancedale management company to finance the release of what is generally accepted as

1512-553: Was acquiring Cherry Lane Music Publishing in 2009, which provided BMG with its first foothold in the United States. BMG made several other purchases in 2010, including Evergreen Copyright Acquisitions . In 2011, Bug Music was bought by BMG, followed by music publisher R2M Music in 2012. Bertelsmann was also reported to be interested in buying EMI , but EMI was ultimately acquired by Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group (record labels) and Sony/ATV Music Publishing (songwriters). The regulatory authorities approved

1554-459: Was completely silent on both sides, with Reagan's own slogan, "If it's a success it must be Magic!". At the end of 1983, Island Records bought 50% of Stiff, and Robinson ran both labels. Island was very short of money at the time and Robinson had to lend it £1,000,000 to fund the share purchase and pay the payroll. In 1984 Island Records released hit single "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood . Stiff signed The Pogues , but then Madness left under

1596-620: Was released in 1995 on Zulu Records. Part Of The Noise , now out of print, included five songs from the Perfect Youth album as well as 45's and rarities. In 2005, the complete Perfect Youth album, with four bonus tracks, was reissued by Sudden Death Records , followed the next year by a compilation of singles, outtakes, and other rarities, entitled Waiting for the Real Thing , also on Sudden Death. These two releases do not share or repeat any tracks. The original band members reunited in 2006 for

1638-601: Was replaced by drummer Robert Bruce (from Active Dog), and later by Ken "Dimwit" Montgomery (who was also known for stints in the Subhumans and D.O.A.). The band released four singles, (including their only Stiff records release, a 3-song 7") before releasing their first full-length album, Perfect Youth in 1980. Members of the band were featured in Dennis Hopper 's 1980 film, Out of the Blue . The first compilation of their recordings

1680-531: Was responsible for much of the graphic art associated with the early Stiff releases. BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG ) is an international music company based in Berlin , Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label . BMG was founded in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its stake in Sony BMG to Sony . From 2009 to 2013,

1722-478: Was sold to financial investor KKR in 2009. Bertelsmann retained 49% and the right to appoint the company's management. The transaction allowed BMG to increase its equity ratio. Initially, Bertelsmann had announced that the new BMG would focus on the European broadcast market. After KKR became the majority shareholder, the company set its sights on expanding internationally. A key step towards achieving this goal

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1764-403: Was that the running order would rotate each night, but Dury and Costello were clearly the strongest acts. Costello played mostly new material and cover versions, rather than numbers from his recently released album My Aim is True , so the gigs usually ended with most of the artists on stage performing Dury's " Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll ". A live album entitled Live Stiffs Live and

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