Touch And Go No Longer Touching, Still Going
Some rumors were buzzing around the indie rock water coolers lately that Touch and Go Records and sister company, 1/4 Stick, would be shutting down the label and focusing on back catalog solely. Now they’re making official statements and for most it’s not as bad as it would have been. Kudos to Sound As Language for catching this for me while I’ve been officially moving into my home in Chicago’s South Loop (Printer’s Row neighborhood). I finally have an Internet tube going into my apartment and with a little help from Al Gore and Comcast, I am now able to start focusing on Chicago music. This statement is about as Chicago as it gets.
Owner Corey Rusk says:
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.