The aesthetic of New Wave pushed graphic design in fresh directions. A new decade saw a flourishing of smart, startling record art which drew from multiple sources simultaneously. Suddenly the entire industry woke up and realized the importance of graphic design.
Independent vs major label – The truth of it was that the first UK punk bands surfaced quickly and there was no way that a few indie labels could sign all of them. Malcolm wasn’t going to sign the Sex Pistols to a small indie label. Malcolm wanted EMI from day one. Bernie Rhodes (Clash) was out chasing after all the majors. Andrew Lauder at UA was hip enough to grab the Stranglers and the Buzzcocks quickly. So that was that. And then all the other punks were kids who were doing it themselves.
It was a short step from putting out your own record to establishing your own independent label. Hello Stiff. Hello Factory. Goodbye CBS and EMI.
