Mute Records: The Historical and Artistic Contexts of Britain’s Key Independent Record Label

Mute Records is one of the most influential, commercially-successful, and long-lasting British independent record labels that were formed in the wake of the late 1970's punk explosion. And yet, in comparison with contemporaries such as Rough Trade or Stiff, its legacy remains under-explored.
This edited collection addresses Mute's wide-ranging impact. Each chapter discusses a distinctive, artist-led approach, drawing from disciplines such as popular music studies, musicology, fan studies, art & design, and creative industries management. It offers insight into artists such as Depeche Mode and Nick Cave, focuses on the musical output of art collectives such as Throbbing Gristle and the Residents, and exposes the significant work of lesser-known acts such as Arca and Ut.Mute Recordsplaces the label within the contexts of these performers, the creativity of their fans, and the operations of the music business in a period of tumultuous change.