Brief

‘I am looking for an original talent who could change the face of music.’

Incentive

An opportunity to meet with Geoff one on one at Rough Trade records.

Biography

Geoff Travis is the founder of Rough Trade records. In 1976, he opened the Rough Trade shop in West London. Around this time punk and reggae exploded in London and the shop was very popular with bands that wanted to put records out. In 1978, Travis put out a single by a French band called 'Metal Urbain', and the business empire continued to develop. Rough Trade was originally seen as a cult post-punk label, but when Travis founded 'The Smiths' in the early eighties, it became more mainstream. Towards the end of the eighties, Travis started the Rough Trade distribution business, but this was not as successful and temporarily tarnished the Rough Trade label reputation. Travis continued to release music through new imprints 'Trade 2' and 'Rough Trade Recordings', and in the nineties, he began to release music through the original label, from bands including The Libertines and The Strokes.

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