Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which began life in 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan as a magazine put out by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson. Vee was bored with the punk sounds of the day, and captivated by the emerging hardcore movement in America. Inspired, he put out records by the Necros, The Fix, the Meatmen, and Negative Approach. In 1981, Necros bassist Corey Rusk joined with Tesco to run the label. In 1983, Tesco handed Touch and Go over to Rusk when he left Michigan for Washington DC. With the label under his ownership, Rusk hired Terry Tolkin who signed the Butthole Surfers and Virgin Prunes to the label, and also produced the "Gods Favorite Dog" compilation. Soon Corey Rusk relocated the label to Chicago, Touch & Go released material in the mid-'80's to early '90s by bands such as the Butthole Surfers, who no longer have their catalog on the label (see below), Big Black, the Jesus Lizard, and continued into the new millennium with artists on their roster including Shellac, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio (the latter two are no longer on the label), Arcwelder, CocoRosie, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and the Black Heart Procession. Rusk continues to run the label.
They are well known, partly because of the influence of their catalogue, partly for their approach to recording contracts, pioneered (probably) by Factory Records. The deal was characterised by:
- 50/50 deals. 50% of profits to artists after label recoups promotion and production costs;
- Oral contracts, a "handshake deal"
Due to the law suit filed by the Butthole Surfers, Touch and Go now asks bands to sign a 1-2 page memorandum of intent.
In 2006, Touch and Go celebrated its 25th anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, the label held a blank">three-day block party event at Chicago's Hideout venue on September 8-10, 2006. Several seminal bands, including Big Black, Scratch Acid, the Didjits, _Killdozer, Negative Approach, and Man...or Astro-Man? reunited and performed at the event.
