Record Labels
In the music
industry a record label is the brand and trademark associated with the
marketing of music recorded and music videos. A record label manages such
brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing
and promotion, and enforcement of copyright protection of sound recordings and
music videos.
Within the
music industry many recording artists have become increasingly reliant on the
record labels to broaden their audience, market their album, and both be
promoted and heard on the radio and seen on the television. They do this with
publicists that assist the performers in positive media reports to market their
merchandise, and make it available in shops and other media outlets such as
iTunes.
The music
Industry has for some time has consisted of major record labels that represent
the majority of music sold. For 10 years from 1988 – 1998 they were known as
the “Big Six”:
1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony Music (known as CBS until 1991)
4. BMG Music Group
5. Universal Music Group
6. Polygram
From 1998 –
2004 they were known as the “Big Five” as Polygram absorbed into Universal
Music Group:
1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony Music
4. BMG Music Group
5. Universal Music Group
From 2004 –
2008 they were known as the “Big Four” due to Sony Music and BMG Music Group
becoming a joint venture.
1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony BMG
4. Universal Music Group
On 12
November 2011, it was announced that EMI has sold its recorded music operations
to Universal Music Group for £1.2 billion ($1.9billion) and its music
publishing operations to a Sony-led consortium for $2.2 billion. Among
the other companies that had competed for the recorded music business was
Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $2 billion bid. However,
IMPALA has said that it would fight the merger, and the merger has yet to be
approved.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group (WMG) is the third largest
business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and was
founded in 1958 as Warner Bros. Record. For three decades the conglomerate was
known as WEA, which stood for Warner Bros.-Elektra-Atlantic Records; three
major record companies that signed and developed musical acts and, in turn,
distributed product for subsidiaries and other record labels. WMG also has a
music publishing arm called Warner/Chappell Music which is one of the world's
largest music-publishing companies.
In May 2011, the company announced its sale
to Access Industries, Inc. The purchase of the company was completed on July
20, 2011
Main Labels
Atlantic Records
Group
·
Atlantic Records
·
Bad Boy Records
·
Elektra Records
·
Fueled By Ramen
·
Fort Knocks Entertainment
·
Grand Hustle Records
·
LaSalle Records
·
Roadrunner Records
Warner
Bros. Records Group
·
Warner Bros. Records
·
Asylum Records
·
143 Records*
·
Blacksmith Records*
·
Maverick
·
Nonesuch Records
·
Reprise Records
·
RuffNation Records
·
Sire Records
·
Maybach Music Group
·
Jet Life Recordings
Rhino
Entertainment
·
Atco Records
·
Del-Fi Records
·
Frank Sinatra Enterprises
·
Rhino Records
·
Eleven: A Music Company
·
Atlantic Records Nashville
·
Warner Bros. Records Nashville
·
Rhino Records Nashville
·
Word Records
·
Myrrh Records
·
Squint Entertainment
·
Cordless Recordings
·
East West Records
o Adeline
Records
o Afternoon
Records
o Better
Looking Records
o The
Bevonshire Label
o Born
& Bred Records
o Broken
English
o Ferret
Music
o Fearless
Records
o Floodgate
Records
o Liberty
& Lament
o Montalban
Hotel
o One
Eleven Records
o Perfect
Game Recording Co.
o Popsicle
Records
o Silent
Majority Group
o Tent
Show
o Triple
Crown Records
o Volcom
Entertainment
o We
Put Out Records
o Rhymesayers
Entertainment
·
Rykodisc Records
·
viaVEGAS.Records
EMI
EMI is a
British multinational music company headquatered in London, England. It was the
fourth largest business group and family of record labels in the recording
industry. EMI Group also has a major music publishing arm with EMI Music
Publishing which is also based in London with offices globally.
EMI
(Electric and Musical Industries) Ltd was formed in March 1931 by the merger of
the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company, firms that have a
history extending back to the origins of recorded sound. The new vertically integrated company produced sound
recordings as well as recording and playback equipment.
Label groups
Stand-alone labels
International
labels
Europe
Sony BMG
Sony
BMG began as a the result of a 50-50 between Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group which was completed
on Meach 4th 2004. The merger affected all Sony Music and
Bertelsmann Music Group companies worldwide except for Japan, where it was felt
that it would reduce competition in that country’s music industry
significantly.
It was announced in 2006 that Sony BMG would
dismantle the Sony Urban Music label. All of the artists will now be assigned
to Epic or Columbia.In March 2007 it was announced that Sony Music
Entertainment Japan, which is not part of Sony BMG, would dismantle the Tofu
Records label. All of the SMEJ artists will be now signed to Epic or Columbia.
The international media and entertainment
companies Sony Corporation and Bertelsmann AG announced on August 5th
2008, that Sony has agreed to acquire
Bertelsmann's 50% stake in Sony BMG. The music company, to be called Sony Music
Entertainment Inc. (SME), will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony
Corporation of America. On October 1st 2008, Sony Corporation completed the
acquisition of Bertelsmann's 50% stake in the companies' joint venture, and the
company was renamed as Sony Music Entertainment on December 1st 2008.
The music company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of
America. The sale price was not disclosed when the deal was announced in
August, but news reports valued it at $1.5 billion.
Record Labels
Columbia
Records
·
Columbia Records
·
Aware Records
·
Startime
International
Epic Records
·
Epic Records
·
DC Flag Records
·
Battery Records
·
So So Def
Recordings
·
Verity Gospel
Music Group
·
Volcano
Entertainment
RCA Records
·
Nappy Boy
Roc Nation
Sony Music Nashville
·
Arista Nashville
·
BNA Records
·
RCA Nashville
·
Columbia
Nashville
·
Open Wide Records
Sony Masterworks
·
Playbill Records
·
Bluebird Records
·
Masterworks
Broadway Records
·
Masterworks Jazz
Records
·
RCA Red Seal
Records
·
Sony Classical
·
Odyssey Records
·
Arte Nova
Classics
Provident
Music Group
·
Brentwood Records
·
Benson Records
·
Essential Records
·
Flicker Records
·
Beach Street
Records
·
Reunion Records
·
Praise Hymn Music
Group
·
Provident Special
Markets
·
Provident-Integrity
Distribution
RED Distribution
·
Red Ink Records
IODA Labels
·
ATO Records
·
Broken Bow
Records
·
Cirque du Soleil
·
Glassnote Records
·
Lamon Records
·
Metal Blade
Records
·
Relapse Records
·
Startime
International
·
Suthun Music
Entertainment
·
Velvet Hammer
·
Platinum City
Entertainment
·
UK HUSTLE
Sony Music UK
·
Columbia Records
UK
·
RCA Label Group
·
Sony CMG
·
Syco Music
Universal
Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music
group and it is the Largest out of the “Big Four” record companies by its
commanding market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music
Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of French media conglomerate Vivendi.
Universal Music Group owns a music publisher,
Universal Music Publishing Group, which became the world's largest following
the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in May 2007.
Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Interscope
Records
·
Aftermath
Entertainment
·
Blackground
Records
·
Cherrytree
Records
·
F2 Records
·
XL Recordings
·
Maloof Music
·
Mosley Music
Group
·
Shady Records
·
Star Trak
Entertainment
·
Streamline
Records
·
Suretone
Records
·
Tennman Records
·
Weapons of Mass
Entertainment
·
Zone 4
·
Will.i.am music
group
|
Geffen
Records
·
Flawless
Records
·
Kon Live
Distribution
·
Matriarch
Records
|
A&M
Records
|
A&M/Octone
Records
|
DGC
Records
|
|
The Island
Def Jam Motown Music Group
Island
Records
·
Tuff Gong
|
Def
Jam Recordings
·
Def Jam South
·
Disturbing tha
Peace
·
Roc-A-Fella
Records
·
Desert Storm
Records
·
GOOD Music
·
Corporate Thugz
Entertainment
·
Radio Killa
Records
·
We the Best
Music Group (distribution for select releases)
·
DD172
o
BluRoc Records
|
Motown Records
·
Rowdy Records
(distribution)
·
Custard Records
(distribution for select releases)
·
Ecstatic Peace!
·
Derrty
Entertainment
|
Universal
Republic Records
·
Casablanca
Records
·
Republic
Nashville
·
Next Plateau
Entertainment (distribution)
·
Serjical Strike Records
(distribution)
·
Brushfire Records
(distribution)
·
Lava Records
·
ANTI-
(distribution for select releases)
·
Cash Money
Records
o
Young Money
Entertainment
·
SRC Records
o
Loud Records
Universal
Music Group Nashville
MCA
Nashville Records
|
Mercury
Nashville Records
|
Lost
Highway Records
|
|
Universal
Music Latin Entertainment
Universal
Music Latino
|
Fonovisa
Records
|
Disa
Records
|
Machete
Music
·
WY Records
·
All Star
Records
·
Flow Music
·
Ilegal Life
Records
·
Mas Flow Inc.
·
Pina Records
·
Sangre Nueva
Music
·
VI Music
|
|
|
The Verve
Music Group
Verve
Records
|
GRP
Records
|
Impulse!
Records
|
|
Decca Label
Group
Decca
Records
·
Decca Vision
·
Decca Broadway
·
EmArcy Records
|
Universal
Music Classical
·
Decca Classics
·
Deutsche
Grammophon
·
ECM
|
|
Deutsche
Grammophon
Universal
Music Enterprises
·
Hip-O Records
V2/Co-Operative
Music
V2
Music
|
Co-Operative
Music
|
|
Fontana
Distribution
Fontana
North
|
Fontana
International
|
|
Show
Dog-Universal Music
Universal
Music UK
Polydor
Records
·
A&M Records
·
Fascination
Records
·
Fiction Records
|
Mercury
Music Group
·
Def Jam UK
·
Vertigo Records
|
Island
Records Group
|
Universal
Music TV (UMTV)
·
The Universal
Music Record Label (UMRL)
|
Decca
Records
|
Geffen
UK
|
RCA Records
The record label i will be using for my
arstist will be RCA Records. Since 1929 RCA has been one of the most famous music names in history and in
1945 released the first ever vinyl record to the public, inventing the modern
“single” in the process. Through the decades the label has been associated with
some of the most famous and iconic artists of our time, ranging from Elvis
Presley – signed in 1955 – through to current global icons such as Justin Timberlake.
The modern RCA Label Group in the UK is a division of Sony Music Entertainment
UK, and releases music from other famous labels including Jive, J Records and
Arista. It has an incredible roster of artists that includes some of the most
internationally famous superstars in the world and a wealth of UK signed talent
including Shakira, Hurts, Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart, Beyonce, Usher,
P!nk, Justin Timberlake, Dido, Will Young, The Script, Alica Keys, Diana
Vickers,and Natasha Bedingfield to name a few.
Some of the
artists signed by RCA are similar to the style of the song and artist i am
using in my A2 media coursework. My artist is a female who performs pop/rock
music, therefore this label who has already signed artists such as Christina
Aquilera, Pink, and previously, Avril Lavigne who left in October 2011. All
these artists are very similar performers to mine.