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| {{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music --> | | {{Infobox record label |
| | name = Merge Records | | | name = Merge Records |
| | image = Mergelogosmall.png | | | image = Mergelogosmall.png |
| | image_size = 200px | | | image_size = 200px |
| | parent = <!-- parent company, such as "[[Warner Music Group]]" --> | | | parent = |
| | founded = {{start date|1989}} | | | founded = {{start date|1989}} |
| | founder = [[Laura Ballance]]<br />[[Mac McCaughan]] | | | founder = Laura Ballance<br />Mac McCaughan |
| | fate = <!-- explain the reason of the closing--> | | | fate = <!-- explain the reason of the closing--> |
| | defunct = <!-- year the label dissolved, such as {{end date|1990}} --> | | | defunct = <!-- year the label dissolved, such as {{end date|1990}} --> |
| | status = <!-- leave blank unless "Inactive" --> | | | status = <!-- leave blank unless "Inactive" --> |
| | distributor = [[Alternative Distribution Alliance|ADA]] | | | distributor = Alternative Distribution Alliance |
| | genre = [[Indie rock]] | | | genre = |
| | country = U.S. | | | country = U.S. |
| | location = [[Durham, North Carolina]] | | | location = Durham, North Carolina |
| | url = {{URL|www.mergerecords.com}} | | | url = {{URL|www.mergerecords.com}} |
| }} | | }} |
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| '''Merge Records''' is an [[independent record label]] based in [[Durham, North Carolina]]. It was founded in [[1989 in music|1989]] by [[Laura Ballance]] and [[Mac McCaughan]]. It began as a way to release music from their band [[Superchunk]] and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts. | | '''Merge Records''' is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts. |
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| ==History==
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| After releasing a number of 7" records and cassettes, the first Merge Records full-length CD release came on April 1, 1992 with MRG020 Superchunk - ''[[Tossing Seeds: Singles 89–91|Tossing Seeds]]'', the band's first collection of singles.
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| The label's first album to reach the USA [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] was [[Arcade Fire|Arcade Fire's]] [[Funeral (album)|''Funeral'']], a 2004 release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/08/il/il22p.html |title=Pitchfork e-zine tells indie fans what's hot and not | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper |publisher=The Honolulu Advertiser |date=2005-05-08 |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> Arcade Fire gave the label its then highest-charting release with their follow-up, 2007's ''[[Neon Bible]]'', which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200,<ref>http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=32547263 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707052555/http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=32547263 |date=July 7, 2007 }}</ref> and, later, reaching #1 with their third album, 2010's [[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|The Suburbs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b19f05d4b90c9c2f2 |title=Arcade Fire And Taylor Swift Sweep In With New No. 1s |publisher=Billboard.biz |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> Other Billboard Top Ten releases include [[Spoon (band)|Spoon's]] ''[[Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga]]'' and [[Transference (album)|''Transference'']], along with [[She & Him|She & Him's]] (actress/musician [[Zooey Deschanel]] along with [[M. Ward]], a popular Merge folk musician) [[Volume Two (She & Him album)|''Volume Two'']]. Other notable Merge releases include [[Neutral Milk Hotel|Neutral Milk Hotel's]] [[In the Aeroplane over the Sea|''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea'']], [[The Magnetic Fields|The Magnetic Fields's]] ''[[69 Love Songs]]'', [[Caribou (musician)|Caribou's]] [[Polaris Prize]]-winning [[Andorra (album)|''Andorra'']], M. Ward's [[Hold Time (album)|''Hold Time'']], [[Camera Obscura (band)|Camera Obscura's]] ''[[Let's Get Out of This Country]]'', and She & Him's [[Volume One (She & Him album)|''Volume One'']].
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| In February 2009, due to adverse market conditions it was announced that [[Touch and Go Records]] would no longer manufacture and distribute records for Merge and many other [[independent record label]]s;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wknc.org/blog/post/2333/pitchfork-says-touch-and-go-records-will-stop-releasing-new-music/ |title=Pitchfork says: Touch and Go Records will stop releasing new music. | WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh |publisher=Wknc.org |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> Merge had been "under the Touch and Go umbrella" ever since its 1992 release of ''[[Tossing Seeds: Singles 89–91|Tossing Seeds]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/the-record-business-implosion-is-touch-and-go |title=On the Beat: David Menconi on music - The record business implosion is touch and go | newsobserver.com blogs |publisher=Blogs.newsobserver.com |date=2009-02-19 |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> Merge quickly reached an agreement with the [[Alternative Distribution Alliance]] to continue distribution of its releases.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/touch-go-to-cut.html |title= Touch and Go to cut staff, distribution services | Pop & Hiss | Los Angeles Times |publisher= Latimesblogs.latimes.com |date= 2009-02-18 |accessdate= 2011-01-02}}</ref>
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| In September 2009, [[Algonquin Paperbacks]] released ''Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records'', a book chronicling the label's history.<ref>{{cite web |author= Code18 Interactive |url= http://www.ournoisethebook.com/ |title= Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records |publisher= Ournoisethebook.com |date= |accessdate= 2011-01-02}}</ref> This followed a 6-day music festival in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]] and [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]], NC, featuring over 40 Merge acts from around the world<ref>{{cite web|last=Malitz |first=David |url= http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/07/xx_merge_the_definitive_list_o.html |title= XX Merge: The Definitive List of 20 Things to Know - Post Rock |publisher= Voices.washingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate= 2011-01-02}}</ref> celebrating the 20th anniversary of the label's first release. The label also released a subscription-only 17-disc box set ''SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mergerecords.com/score/details/ |title=Merge Records SCORE! Merge is 20! |publisher=Mergerecords.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> throughout the 20th anniversary year curated by pop culture tastemakers the likes of [[David Byrne]], [[Amy Poehler]], [[Zach Galifianakis]], [[Jonathan Lethem]], [[Peter Buck]], [[David Chang]], [[Mindy Kaling]] and more, with all proceeds going to charities.
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| In August 2010, Merge Records released Arcade Fire's [[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|''The Suburbs'']] to critical acclaim, preceding the band's headlining appearance at [[Lollapalooza]]. The album went straight to number one on the US and UK charts. Famed director and [[Monty Python]] member [[Terry Gilliam]] also directed a live online broadcast of the bands's concert from the historic [[Madison Square Garden]] in [[New York City|New York]] following the album's release, which was streamed live by an estimated 1.8 million unique viewers. [[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|''The Suburbs'']] won the Grammy for Album of the Year at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011.
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| ==Artists== | | ==Artists== |
| {{col-begin}} | | {{col-begin}} |
| {{col-3}} | | {{col-3}} |
| * [[The 6ths]] | | * The 6ths |
| * [[The 3Ds]] | | * The 3Ds |
| * [[American Music Club]] | | * [[American Music Club]] |
| * [[Arcade Fire]] | | * Arcade Fire |
| * [[Lou Barlow]] | | * Lou Barlow |
| * Beatnik Filmstars | | * Beatnik Filmstars |
| * [[Breadwinner (band)|Breadwinner]] | | * Breadwinner |
| * [[Bricks (band)|Bricks]] | | * Bricks |
| * [[The Broken West]] | | * The Broken West |
| * [[Richard Buckner (musician)|Richard Buckner]] | | * Richard Buckner |
| * [[Paul Burch]] | | * Paul Burch |
| * [[Butterglory]] | | * Butterglory |
| * [[Buzzcocks]] | | * Buzzcocks |
| * [[Camera Obscura (band)|Camera Obscura]] | | * Camera Obscura |
| * [[Caribou (band)|Caribou]] | | * Caribou |
| * [[The Clean]] | | * The Clean |
| * [[The Clientele]] | | * The Clientele |
| * [[Conor Oberst]] | | * Conor Oberst |
| * [[Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band]] | | * Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band |
| * [[Apex Manor]] | | * Apex Manor |
| * [[Crooked Fingers]] | | * Crooked Fingers |
| * [[Dan Bejar]] | | * Dan Bejar |
| * [[Destroyer (band)|Destroyer]] | | * Destroyer |
| * [[Dinosaur Jr]] | | * Dinosaur Jr |
| * [[East River Pipe]] | | * East River Pipe |
| * [[Matt Elliott (musician)|Matt Elliott]] | | * |Matt Elliott |
| * [[The Essex Green]] | | * The Essex Green |
| * [[The Extra Lens]] | | * The Extra Lens |
| * [[Future Bible Heroes]] | | * Future Bible Heroes |
| * [[Ganger (band)|Ganger]] | | * |Ganger |
| * [[Guv'ner]] | | * Guv'ner |
| {{col-3}} | | {{col-3}} |
| * [[Annie Hayden]] | | * Annie Hayden |
| * Hiss Golden Messenger | | * Hiss Golden Messenger |
| * Honor Role | | * Honor Role |
| * [[Hospitality (band)|Hospitality]] | | * Hospitality |
| * [[Imperial Teen]] | | * Imperial Teen |
| * [[The Karl Hendricks Trio]] | | * The Karl Hendricks Trio |
| * [[David Kilgour (musician)|David Kilgour]] | | * David Kilgour |
| * [[The Ladybug Transistor]] | | * The Ladybug Transistor |
| * [[Lambchop (band)|Lambchop]] | | * Lambchop |
| * [[Let's Wrestle]] | | * Let's Wrestle |
| * [[Little Scream]] | | * Little Scream |
| * [[The Love Language]] | | * The Love Language |
| * [[The Mad Scene]] | | * The Mad Scene |
| * [[The Magnetic Fields]] | | * The Magnetic Fields |
| * [[Bob Mould]] | | * Bob Mould |
| * [[Mikal Cronin]] | | * Mikal Cronin |
| * Mount Moriah | | * Mount Moriah |
| * [[The Mountain Goats]] | | * The Mountain Goats |
| * [[The Music Tapes]] | | * The Music Tapes |
| * [[Neutral Milk Hotel]] | | * Neutral Milk Hotel |
| * [[Oakley Hall (band)|Oakley Hall]] | | * Oakley Hall |
| * Pipe | | * Pipe |
| * [[Robert Pollard]] | | * Robert Pollard |
| * [[Polvo]] | | * Polvo |
| * [[Portastatic]] | | * Portastatic |
| * [[Pram (band)|Pram]] | | * Pram |
| * [[Pure (Canadian band)|Pure]] | | * Pure |
| * [[Radar Bros.]] | | * Radar Bros. |
| * [[Reigning Sound]] | | * Reigning Sound |
| * [[The Rock*A*Teens]] | | * The Rock*A*Teens |
| * [[The Rosebuds]] | | * The Rosebuds |
| * Saint Rich | | * Saint Rich |
| * [[Tom Scharpling]] | | * Tom Scharpling |
| | valign=top | | | | valign=top | |
| * [[Seaweed (band)|Seaweed]] | | * Seaweed |
| * Shark Quest | | * Shark Quest |
| * [[Shout Out Louds]] | | * Shout Out Louds |
| * Sneaks<ref>[http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/20833010/freshly-signed-to-merge-records-sneaks-eva-moolchan-is-poised-to-keep-things-moving-on-and-up]</ref> | | * Sneaks<ref>[http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/20833010/freshly-signed-to-merge-records-sneaks-eva-moolchan-is-poised-to-keep-things-moving-on-and-up]</ref> |
| * Spaceheads | | * Spaceheads |
| * [[Esperanza Spalding]] | | * Esperanza Spalding |
| * [[Spent (band)|Spent]] | | * Spent |
| * [[Spoon (band)|Spoon]] | | * Spoon |
| * Ashley Stove | | * Ashley Stove |
| * [[Matt Suggs]] | | * Matt Suggs |
| * [[Superchunk]] | | * Superchunk |
| * [[Teenage Fanclub]] | | * Teenage Fanclub |
| * [[Telekinesis (band)|Telekinesis]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mergerecords.com/news.php?month=Jan+2009#427 |title= Merge Records News |publisher=Mergerecords.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mergerecords.com/store/store_detail.php?catalog_id=600&link=sidebarLink-home |title=Telekinesis: Telekinesis! |publisher=Merge Records |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> | | * Telekinesis<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mergerecords.com/news.php?month=Jan+2009#427 |title= Merge Records News |publisher=Mergerecords.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mergerecords.com/store/store_detail.php?catalog_id=600&link=sidebarLink-home |title=Telekinesis: Telekinesis! |publisher=Merge Records |date= |accessdate=2011-01-02}}</ref> |
| * Tenement Halls | | * Tenement Halls |
| * [[The Third Eye Foundation]] | | * The Third Eye Foundation |
| * [[Times New Viking]] | | * Times New Viking |
| * [[Titus Andronicus (band)|Titus Andronicus]] | | * Titus Andronicus |
| * [[Tracey Thorn]] | | * Tracey Thorn |
| * Twerps | | * Twerps |
| * [[William Tyler (musician)|William Tyler]] | | * William Tyler |
| * [[Verbena (band)|Verbena]] | | * Verbena |
| * [[Versus (band)|Versus]] | | * Versus |
| * [[M. Ward]] | | * M. Ward |
| * [[Waxahatchee]] | | * Waxahatchee |
| * [[White Whale (band)|White Whale]] | | * White Whale |
| * [[Wild Flag]] | | * Wild Flag |
| * [[Will Butler]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/57575-arcade-fires-will-butler-shares-take-my-side/|title=Arcade Fire's Will Butler Shares "Take My Side"|work=Pitchfork}}</ref> | | * Will Butler<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/57575-arcade-fires-will-butler-shares-take-my-side/|title=Arcade Fire's Will Butler Shares "Take My Side"|work=Pitchfork}}</ref> |
| * [[Wye Oak (band)|Wye Oak]] | | * Wye Oak |
| {{col-end}} | | {{col-end}} |
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| ==See also== | | ==AMC & Mark Eitzel on Merge== |
| * [[Merge Records discography]] | | ===AMC=== |
| | * ''[[Love Songs For Patriots]]'' - 2004 |
| | * ''[[The Golden Age]]'' - 2008 |
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| | ===Mark Eitzel=== |
| | * ''[[Don't Be A Stranger]]'' - 2012 |
| | * ''[[Hey Mr Ferryman]]'' - 2017 |
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| ==References== | | ==References== |
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| * [http://www.mergerecords.com/ Official website] | | * [http://www.mergerecords.com/ Official website] |
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| [[Category:American independent record labels]]
| | [[Category:Record labels]] |
| [[Category:Record labels established in 1989]] | |
| [[Category:Alternative rock record labels]]
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| [[Category:Indie rock record labels]]
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| [[Category:Companies based in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina]]
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| [[Category:Music of North Carolina]]
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| [[Category:1989 establishments in North Carolina]]
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| [[Category:Merge Records| ]]
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