Editing Merge Records (section)

==History==
After releasing a number of [[Single (music)|7" records and cassettes]], the first Merge Records full-length CD release came on April 1, 1992, with MRG020 Superchunk—''[[Tossing Seeds: Singles 89–91|Tossing Seeds]]'', the band's first collection of singles.

Merge's early successes included [[Neutral Milk Hotel]]'s ''[[In the Aeroplane over the Sea]]'', [[The Magnetic Fields]]' ''[[69 Love Songs]]'', and [[Spoon (band)|Spoon]]'s ''[[Kill the Moonlight]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Grow |first1=Kory |title=Hart of the Matter |page=14 |work=[[CMJ New Music Report]] |date=July 26, 2004 |language=en  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3cg1pAzMqkC&pg=PA14 }}</ref>

The label's first album to reach the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] was [[Arcade Fire]]'s [[Funeral (Arcade Fire album)|''Funeral'']], a 2004 release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/08/il/il22p.html |title=Pitchfork e-zine tells indie fans what's hot and not &#124; The Honolulu Advertiser &#124; Hawaii's Newspaper |publisher=The Honolulu Advertiser |date=May 8, 2005 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> Arcade Fire gave the label its then highest-charting release with their follow-up, 2007's ''[[Neon Bible]]'', which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=32547263 |title=Arcade Fire's 'Neon Bible' Opens At No. 2 |website=prod1.cmj.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707052555/http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=32547263 |archive-date=July 7, 2007}}</ref> and, later, reaching #1 with their third album, 2010's ''[[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|The Suburbs]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b19f05d4b90c9c2f2 |title=Arcade Fire And Taylor Swift Sweep In With New No. 1s |publisher=Billboard.biz |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-date=August 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816162242/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b19f05d4b90c9c2f2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other Billboard Top Ten releases include Spoon's ''[[Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga]]'' and [[Transference (album)|''Transference'']], along with [[She & Him|She & Him's]] (actress/musician [[Zooey Deschanel]] along with [[M. Ward]], a popular Merge folk musician) [[Volume Two (She & Him album)|''Volume Two'']]. Other notable Merge releases include [[Caribou (musician)|Caribou's]] [[Polaris Prize]]-winning [[Andorra (album)|''Andorra'']], M. Ward's [[Hold Time (album)|''Hold Time'']], [[Camera Obscura (band)|Camera Obscura's]] ''[[Let's Get Out of This Country]]'', and She & Him's [[Volume One (She & Him album)|''Volume One'']].

In February 2009, due to adverse market conditions it was announced that [[Touch and Go Records]] would no longer manufacture and distribute records for Merge and many other [[independent record label]]s;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wknc.org/blog/post/2333/pitchfork-says-touch-and-go-records-will-stop-releasing-new-music/ |title=Pitchfork says: Touch and Go Records will stop releasing new music. &#124; WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh |website=Wknc.org |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609142934/http://wknc.org/blog/post/2333/pitchfork-says-touch-and-go-records-will-stop-releasing-new-music/ |archive-date=June 9, 2009 }}</ref> Merge had been "under the Touch and Go umbrella" ever since its 1992 release of ''[[Tossing Seeds: Singles 89–91|Tossing Seeds]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/the-record-business-implosion-is-touch-and-go |title=On the Beat: David Menconi on music - The record business implosion is touch and go &#124; newsobserver.com blogs |publisher=Blogs.newsobserver.com |date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714180252/http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/the-record-business-implosion-is-touch-and-go |archive-date=July 14, 2011 }}</ref> Merge quickly reached an agreement with the [[Alternative Distribution Alliance]] to continue distribution of its releases.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/touch-go-to-cut.html |title= Touch and Go to cut staff, distribution services &#124; Pop & Hiss &#124; Los Angeles Times |publisher= Latimesblogs.latimes.com |date= February 18, 2009 |access-date= January 2, 2011}}</ref>

In September 2009, [[Workman Publishing Company#Algonquin Books|Algonquin Paperbacks]] released ''Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records'', a book chronicling the label's history.<ref>{{cite web |author= Code18 Interactive |url= http://www.ournoisethebook.com/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090716193345/http://ournoisethebook.com/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 16, 2009 |title= Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records |publisher= Ournoisethebook.com |access-date= January 2, 2011 }}</ref> This followed a 6-day music festival in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]] and [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]], NC, featuring over 40 Merge acts from around the world<ref>{{cite web|last=Malitz |first=David |url= http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/07/xx_merge_the_definitive_list_o.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121004170414/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/07/xx_merge_the_definitive_list_o.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= October 4, 2012 |title= XX Merge: The Definitive List of 20 Things to Know - Post Rock |publisher= Voices.washingtonpost.com |access-date= January 2, 2011}}</ref> celebrating the 20th anniversary of the label's first release. The label also released a subscription-only 17-disc box set ''SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mergerecords.com/score/details/ |title=Merge Records SCORE! Merge is 20! |publisher=Mergerecords.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017082402/http://www.mergerecords.com/score/details/ |archive-date=October 17, 2010 }}</ref> throughout the 20th anniversary year curated by pop culture tastemakers such as [[David Byrne]], [[Amy Poehler]], [[Zach Galifianakis]], [[Jonathan Lethem]], [[Peter Buck]], [[David Chang]], [[Mindy Kaling]] and more, with all proceeds going to charities.

In August 2010, Merge Records released Arcade Fire's [[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|''The Suburbs'']] to critical acclaim, preceding the band's headlining appearance at [[Lollapalooza]]. The album went straight to number one on the U.S. and U.K. charts. Famed director and [[Monty Python]] member [[Terry Gilliam]] also directed a live online broadcast of the band's concert from the historic [[Madison Square Garden]] in [[New York City|New York]] following the album's release, which was streamed live by an estimated 1.8 million unique viewers. [[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|''The Suburbs'']] won the Grammy for Album of the Year at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011.