4AD

4AD

Parent company	Beggars Group
Founded	1980
Founder	Ivo Watts-Russell Peter Kent
Distributor(s)	Beggars Group
Genre	Alternative rock, dream pop, post-punk, electronica, indie rock, noise pop, ethereal wave, gothic rock, new wave, ambient
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Location	London
Official website	www.4ad.com

4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1980 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, originally funded by Beggars Banquet.

The label gained prominence in the 1980s for releasing albums from alternative rock, post-punk, gothic rock and dream pop artists, such as Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, Pixies, Throwing Muses and Watts-Russell's own musical project This Mortal Coil. 4AD continued to have success in the 1990s and 2000s with releases from The Breeders, Red House Painters, TV on the Radio, St. Vincent and Bon Iver. The label's current roster includes indie rock acts such as The National, Camera Obscura, Deerhunter, Grimes and Future Islands.

4AD forms part of the Beggars Group, along with Matador Records, Rough Trade Records and XL Recordings. Its history has been detailed by Martin Aston in his biography of the label, Facing The Other Way, released 2013.