Clay's first release came from local Stoke punk band Discharge.
Stone distributed the EP out of the boot of his car but it still made it into the top 10 of the indie chart in the music magazine Sounds.
The label went on to sign artists including Play Dead, The Lurkers, Demon and G.B.H.
In 1996, the label's distributor, Pinnacle Entertainment, went under, resulting in Mike Stone losing £25,000.
[2][3] Subsequently, Clay Records back catalogue is owned by Sanctuary/BMG Rights Management.