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Merge

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About Me

Merge Records was started in the summer of 1989, by Laura Ballance & Mac McCaughan, the same summer they formed the band Superchunk in Chapel Hill, NC. The first couple releases were cassettes (remember those?), by WWAX and Bricks, followed by the first Superchunk (then known only as "Chunk") 7" single.
The vinyl 7" was the format of choice for the first 3 years of the label, with cash borrowed from friends to finance projects (including singles from Erectus Monotone, Angels of Epistemology, and more Superchunk) and bedrooms serving as Merge HQ until 1992, when the first Merge full-length release, Tossing Seeds by Superchunk, was released on CD, LP, and cassette.
With this release Merge also forged a relationship with Touch and Go Records of Chicago.
Since '92 Merge moved from one charming-yet-run-down office to another until 2001, when we finally made the move from Chapel Hill down the road to a fine old building all our own in historic Downtown Durham, NC.
Merge Records website
Merge Blog
Merge Bands On Tour
Merge Mail Order

My Interests

Putting out records, helping our bands, going to rock shows..

I'd like to meet:

Friends & family

Music:

3Ds, The 6ths, American Music Club, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Arcade Fire, Ashley Stove, Lou Barlow, Beatnik Filmstars, The Broken West, Breadwinner, Richard Buckner, Paul Burch, Butterglory, Buzzcocks, Camera Obscura, Caribou, The Clean, The Clientele, Crooked Fingers, Destroyer, Dinosaur Jr, East River Pipe, Matt Elliott, The Essex Green, Future Bible Heroes, Ganger, Guv'ner, Annie Hayden, Imperial Teen, The Karl Hendricks Trio, David Kilgour, The Ladybug Transistor, Lambchop, The Mad Scene, The Magnetic Fields, The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Oakley Hall, Pipe, Polvo, Portastatic, Pram, Radar Bros., The Rock*A*Teens, The Rosebuds, Seaweed, Shark Quest, Shout Out Louds, Spaceheads, Spent, Spoon, Matt Suggs, Superchunk, Teenage Fanclub, Tenement Halls, The Third Eye Foundation, Versus, M. Ward

Books:

Our Band Could Be Your Life

My Blog

MTV2 s Best of 2007 includes tons of Merge! VOTE!

Shout Out Louds, Spoon, Camera Obscura, and Caribou are all up for a SUBTERRANEAN BEST O' 2007 AWARD! Please go HERE to VOTE! Also, vote to keep Caribou's "Melody Day" video ON AIR on December 10th H...
Posted by Merge on Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:01:00 PST

July 10 New Releases!

Hello! Today is a busy day in the Merge office - four new releases to please your ears.*SPOON - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is out today! Lots of free extras are available, so here's a quick list:-Free bonus track...
Posted by Merge on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:13:00 PST

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga preorder!!

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga preorder!!Spoon's newest release will hit CD stores on July 10, but preorder from Merge early and receive a limited-edition 7"! We have a limited supply of these, so preorder ea...
Posted by Merge on Wed, 23 May 2007 02:38:00 PST

May Madness

-The Clientele will unveil their third full-length, God Save The Clientele on Tuesday! ORDER HERE! They also hit the road to tour N. America this weekend. Check them out in the north east with labelm...
Posted by Merge on Sat, 05 May 2007 11:32:00 PST

March happenings!

Hello! Just a quick note to let you know of all the happenings lately at the Merge HQ. *The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies will be out April 10!! Head to The Rosebuds' myspace page to hear one of the...
Posted by Merge on Sat, 24 Mar 2007 09:20:00 PST

Merge Holiday Deals!

The best deals on all Merge releases can always be found on the Merge Mail Order page, direct from our website!'Tis the season to give the gift of great records, so head over to our store for the Holi...
Posted by Merge on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:11:00 PST

M. WARD TOUR AND PRESALE TICKETS!

M. Ward is proud to announce his upcoming North American Tour:Sept 1 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo'sSept 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Plaza ClubSept 5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity TheaterSept 6 - Omaha, NE @ Scottish R...
Posted by Merge on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:11:00 PST

Merge tour daes & news for June/July!

The time is right for making records, touring, meeting new people.. so lots of the Merge bands are currently on tour! Visit our profile, or MergeRecords.com for the full listings from Richard Buckner,...
Posted by Merge on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 08:24:00 PST

Destroyer's Rubies - stream & preorder

You can now stream the entire Destroyer album, Destroyer's Rubies on our website!! Just visit the Jukebox on the frontpage, or click here. From there, you can preorder the album! Its official relea...
Posted by Merge on Wed, 15 Feb 2006 06:37:00 PST

Robert Pollard - From A Compound Eye on Quicktime.com!

You can now listen to the Robert Pollard album, From A Compound Eye, in full at Quicktime.com! Get all lyrics, album pictures, and your fill of Uncle Bob, and then order the album from MergeRecords.c...
Posted by Merge on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:45:00 PST