RECORD COMPANY INFORMATION

 

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Recording Business

 

The object of recording companies is to get their share of 20,000 new titles each year on the shelves of retailers and in the hands of the public.

 

The music shelves are already very full with over 100,000 back-listed titles. So that the (local band) Intraverse are not only competing with Eminem for space, they are also fighting with five decades of predecessors from Chuck Berry and the Beatles through to Metallica and Aerosmith.

 

It costs several million dollars to record and launch any major new pop album these days. And audience tastes are unpredictable, hence many launches are doomed. Music companies must rely on the occasional big hit among the many flops.  Winning shelf space is harder than it’s ever been with digital distribution via the Internet, where fans have been sharing recordings and avoiding buying recordings off the shelves.

 

Music then is in transition. It’s going from a tangible that you buy off the shelves to an intangible, something that’s on the Net and available to anyone who can in turn record them on tape or CD. This new situation has the big five companies worried with good reason as they adapt to remain competitive. NK

 

 

 

I hope this information helps

 

 

 

It is sometimes very difficult to trace who owns rights to recordings where companies no longer operate, hence this is just a general guide. The list below gives some indication of who owns who although this is by no means comprehensive and is subject to frequent change as labels fold, new ones are created and mergers take place.

 

 

 

Universal Music Group

 

Label

Associated labels

A&M

Chess

Ace of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, Argo, Belart, Beltona, Brunswick, Cambrian, Coral, Cube, Deram, Durium, Eclipse, Electric, Emerald, Envoy, Felsted, Good Time Jazz, Greenwich, Gull, Jubilee, M&M, Monument, Nova, L'Oiseau Lyre, Qualiton, Rex, Telefunken, Threshold, Turnabout, UK, Vocalion, Vox, West African

King, Murder Inc, Roc-A-Fella, Violator

Fiction

Gee St

DreamWorks, E Pluribus Unum, Outpost, Zombie A-Go-Go

Island (US)

Island (UK)

Antilles, Blunted Vinyl, Fourth & Broadway, Mango, Tuff Gong, TVT

Almo Sounds, Coolsville, Flip, Jake, Nothing

Karussell

Curb, Jersey, Radioactive, Twisted

Mercury UK

Artificial, L'Attitude, Rocket, Talkin' Loud, Vertigo, Fontana, Capricorn, Dink, Go!Discs

 

Philips Music Group

Imaginary Road, Mercury Living Presence, Philips, Point Music

Phonogram

Point Blank

Polydor UK

Generic, Exile, Paradox, Perspective, Tabu, Wild Card

Decca Broadway, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips Music Group

Biv 10, Cash Money, Celtic Heartbeat, Cherry Entertainment, Mojo, Pallas, Republic, ZTT

Blue Thumb, Commodore, Decca Jazz, GRP, Impulse, Priceless Jazz, Swingsation, Verve, Vintage Vault

 

 

EMI

Label

Associated labels

Additive

Apple

Blue Note

Classics for Pleasure

Columbia (not Sony)

Cooltempo

EMI

Positiva, Heavenly 100

EMI Gold

Encore

Gramophone

Grand Royal

Harvest

Hemisphere

HMV

Hostile

IRS

Liberty UK

Major Minor

Manhattan

Music for Pleasure

NovaMute, Blast First, Thirteenth Hour

Obscure

Odeon

One Up

Food, Credence, Regal, Blue Note, Capitol Jazz, Pacific Jazz, Roulette Jazz

RAK

Regal Zonophone

Roulette

SBK

Starline

Studio Two

Talisman

Top Rank

Total Vegas

United Artists

Higher Octave, Immortal, Luaka Bop, Rap-A-Lot, Virgin Nashville, Virgin Records Urban

Astralwerks, Caroline, Circa, EG, Elevator, Kuff, Melankolic, Pointblank, Real World, Scamp, Science, Source, VC Recordings, Venture, Veritas, Vernon Yard

Waverley

Zonophone

 

 

Sony/BMG Entertainment

 

 

Label

Associated labels

Anxious

Ariola

Arista UK

Bistro, D:Disco, Filth, Music Man, Rowdy, Tresor, Tripoli Trax, Urgent

Arista/Profile, Bad Boy, La Face, Melisma, Time Bomb

Beyond

Bluebird

Arte Nova, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Melodiya, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Wicklow

Conifer

Deconstruction

DGC

Full Works

Imago

Melo

Neon

One to One

RCA

Delerious, Giant, House of Blues, Loud, Parousia, Revolution

 

 

Warner Music Group

 

 

Label

Associated labels

Atco

Blanco y Negro

East West

Korova

London - see London-Sire

American London, Coliseum, Hi, London, Palomar, Parrot, Press, Tribe, Seville, Spark, Richmond

Oval

Paisley Park

Sire - see London-Sire

Erato, Finlandia, Nonesuch, Teldec

Warner Music UK

FutureFlex

WEA

Black Culture, Kinetic, Qwest

 

 

 

Sony Music

 

 

Label

Associated labels

CBS

American, Aware, C2, DV8, Loud, Murmur, Portrait, So So Def, Trackmasters, Xtravaganza

Gloworm, Hidden Beach, Ruthless

Kitchenware

Sony Jazz

Higher Ground, INC-redible, Sony Soho Square (S2)

 

 

 

Other labels

 

 

Label

Associated labels

Ace, Beat Goes Public, Big Beat, Bioplicity, Blue Horizon, Cascade, Chiswick, Fantasy, Globestyle, Kent, Kicking Mule, Prestige, Riverside, Southbound, Stax, Takoma, Vanguard, Westbound

American, Beggars Banquet, 4AD, Mantra, Matador, Mo 'Wax, Nation, Placebo, Too Pure, Wiiija, XL Recordings

Chandos, Chaconne, Chandos Brass, Collect, Enchant, Opera in English, Flyback

Anagram, Analog Baroque, British Steel, Cherry Red, El, rpm., Zebra

Rabid Badger, Livid Meerkat

Gut

NCM Group

48K, Infectious, Mushroom, Perfecto, Ultimate Dilemma

Clean Up, Elemental, One Little Indian, Rough Trade

Flapper, Pearl, Opal, Topaz

ASV, Bearsville, Black Box, Brodsky, Bronze, Castle Music, Castle Pie, Castle Select, Cinephile, Curtom, Deepbeats, Discover, Essential, Gaudeamus, HTD, Immediate, Indigo, Living Era, Mecca, Metal-Is, Neat, Nixa, Noise, Pulse, Pye, Quicksilva, Raw Power, Resonance, Sanctuary, Select, Sequel, Solar, Sugarhill, T&T, Transacord, Transatlantic, Trojan, When!, White Line

Telstar Entertainment

Multiply, Telstar, Wildstar

V2

Zomba

Jive, Music for Nations, Reunion, Silvertone, Verity

 

 

 

 

Label guides

 

Popular music

 

Album discographies by Mike Callahan, David Edwards and Patrice Eyries contains details of album releases by dozens of record companies.
allrecordlabels.com worldwide links.
Discogs electronic music database searchable by label.
Jazz record label listings maintained by Michael Fitzgerald.
Record company addresses and links for folk and world music labels from the publishers of Dirty Linen.
Record labels searchable by name, location or genre at the Ultimate Band List site.
Record labels on the web 4800+ links to pop and rock record label web pages with more being added continually.
Soul Index contains the record history of some of the finest UK/USA 60's Soul record labels.

 

Classical music

 

Classical music labels from Classical Net.
Early music record labels

 

 

 

Reference works

 

Music Week Directory - an annual UK directory containing up-to-date record company addresses/telephone numbers.
Showcase International Music Book - annual directory listing labels in UK and overseas.
RED Labels and Distributors Directory - various editions published.
Gramophone Classical Catalogue - annual publication listing classical labels and distributors.
International Record Review - monthly classical music journal listing record company websites.

 

 

For further information please contact:

 

The British Library
Sound Archive
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7676
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7441
EMail: sound-archive@bl.uk

 

 

 

 

 

MUSIC INDEX A - Z

 

 

Abba

AC-DC

Aerosmith

A H Rahman

A-ha

Alabama

Alanis Morisette

Alison Kraus

All Saints

American Idol

American Music Awards

Amy Macdonald

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Annie Lennox

Aqua

Arctic Monkeys

Atomic Kitten

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend Wedding

Bananarama

Band Aid

Backstreet Boys

Babra Streisand

Barry Manilow

Barry White

Bay City Rollers

Beach Boys

Beyonce

Billy Joel

Bing Crosby

Black Sabbath - Ozzy Osbourne

Blondie

Bob Dylan

Bob Geldof

Bob Marley & Wailers

Bon Jovi

Boney M

Boyz II Men

Brenda Lee

Britney Spears - Shaved

Bruce Springsteen

Bryan Adams

Bucks Fizz

Buddy Holly

B'z

Cascada

Celine Dion

Charles Aznavour

Charlotte Church

Chacago

Cheeky Girls

Chemical Brothers

Childrens Songs

Christina Aguilera - Basics

Christina Milian

Chuck Berry

Cindy Lauper

Cliff Richard

Coldplay

Comic Relief

David Bowie

Def Leoppard

Depeche Mode

Destiny's Child

Dire Straits

Dixie Chicks

Dolly Parton

Donna Summer

Duran Duran

Earth Wind and Fire

East Magazine - Eastbounre

Eddie Arnold

Elena Paparizou - Eurovision

Elkie Brooks

Elton John

Elvis Presley

Eminem

Enrique Iglesias

Enya

Eurovision Song Contest

Evanescence

Events - Tents - Moroccan

Fergie

Fleetwood Mac

Flipp's - Pop Funk collection

Foreigner

Frank Sinatra

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Laine

Garth Brooks

Gary Numan

Genesis

George Michael

Geri Halliwell

Girl Bands

Girl Groups

Girls Aloud

Glade alternative music festival

Glastonbury

Gloria Estefan

Grace Jones

Grammy Awards

Grant Navy Fireman

Groove Armada

Guns and Roses

Gunther + Sunshine Girls

Gwen Stefani

Haircut 100

Hank Thompson

Hellogoodbye

Her Name in Blood

Hoosiers

Intraverse

Iron Maiden

James Blunt

James Morrison

Janet Jackson

Jean Michel Jarre

Jennifer Lopez

Jessica Simpson

Jethro Tull

Jimi Hendrix

Joel White

John Denver

Johnny Cash

Johnny Mathis

Joni James

Joss Stone

Journey

Juan Thyme

Julia Figueroa

Julio Iglesias

Justin Timberlake

Karaoke    A - Z of UK venues

Kate Bush

Kate Nash

Katie Melua

Kenny Rogers

Kristina Bradford

Kylie Minogue - cancer

Led Zeppelin

Lily Allen

Linda Ronstadt

Lionel Richie

Live Aid

Live Earth Concerts

Live 8

Louis Walsh

Luciano Pavarotti

KISS

Madonna - Films and Video

Mama Hoochie Bang

Mando - Manto

Mariah Carey

Marillion

Max Jasper - Mezzowave

McFly

Meatloaf

Metallica

Michael Bolton

Michael Jackson

Mireille Mathieu

Modern Talking

MTV

My Chemical Romance

Myspace.com - Networking

Nat King Cole

Natasha Bedingfield

National Anthems

Neil Diamond

Nelly Furtado

Nirvana

 

Oasis

Olivia Newton-John

Paris Hilton

Patti Page

Pearl Jam

Perry Como

Peter Waterman

Petition the Prime Minister

Petula Clarke

Phil Collins

Photography

Pink - Pink Orchid Ltd

Pink Floyd

Pop Idol

Pop Music

Prince

Queen

Reading Music Festival

Record Companies

Record Producers

Ricky Nelson

Rihanna

Robbie Williams

Rod Stewart

Roxette

Roxy Music

Rule Britannia

Santana

Shakira

Shania Twain

Sharon Osbourne

Simon Cowell

Simply Red

Snoop Dog

Songwriting

Spice Girls

Stars in Their Eyes

Steps

Stevie Wonder

Sting - The Police

Stock Aitken Waterman SAW

Sugababes

Terry Wogan

The Bangles

The Beatles

The Bee Gees

The Brit Awards

The Carpenters

The Clash

The Doobie Brothers

The Doors

The Eagles

The Jacksons

The Pussycat Dolls

The Ramones

The Rolling Stones

The Royal Canadians

The Seekers

The Sunshine Girls

The Ventures

The Who

The X Factor

The X Factor 2005

The X Factor 2006

Three Dog Night

Timbaland

Tina Turner

TOP TEN - FORTY CHARTS

Tupac

U2

UB40

USA For Africa

Van Halen

Vibes From the Vine - Concert 06

Vicky Leandros

Victoria Beckham

VW tour bus - Sunshine Girls

Wei Wei

Whitney Houston

Wicked New Year Party - Alps 07

Woodstock

World Idol

X Factor Battle of Stars

YouTube.com

ZZ Top

 

 

 

 

 

RECORD COMPANIES INDEX A - Z

 

 

BMG

CBS COLUMBIA

CHRYSALIS

EMI

MOTOWN

RCA

SONY

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

VIRGIN MUSIC GROUP

WARNER MUSIC GROUP (AOL TIME WARNER)

 

 

 

 

The songs and pictures on this website are © 2000 & 2006 Solar Cola Limited & Electrick Publications, unless otherwise specified.  All rights reserved. 

 

 

Big Five

 

In the last ten years the $40 billion music industry has been taken over by five companies, exerting vertical and horizontal control over almost every aspect of the industry. These five own virtually every record label you can name. Many of these labels with histories back to the Victrola days (like RCA Victor and Parlophone) are now under the control of a handful of international entertainment conglomerates that have learned to prolong shelf life and dominate shelf space ruthlessly. Although changes in the way music is delivered are a threat to the giants, they have the financial, legal, and technological muscle to minimize their losses and maximize their gains.

 

There are five major record label conglomerates, who control over 80% of all the titles produced in the United States and comparable percentages in the rest of the world. They are Warner Music, EMI Group, Universal Music Group (UMG), Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and Sony. These also own distribution companies that control over 80% of the wholesale market. They are also becoming a bigger presence in the retail sale of recordings. And it seems every time an independent begins to build new markets, it soon gets bought out by one of the big guys and the pace of consolidation is increasing. 

 

Here are descriptions of the Big Five (as currently constituted) with some notes.

 

 

Company

AOL-Time-Warner

Recording Group

Warner Music Group (WMG)

Market Share (2001)

12%

Labels (select)

Atlantic, Atco, Elektra, Asylum, Reprise, Maverick, Rhino, Sire, Warner Brothers

Publishing division

Warner/Chappell Music

Distribution division

 

Manufacturing division

WEA

Retail

Columbia House (part, 50%)

Artists under contract (select)

Faith Hill, Linkin Park, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Seal

Other media holdings (select)

Warner Brothers (film), WB Network, Time Warner Cable(television), Time-Life (magazines) Warner Books (books)

 

 

AOL-Time-Warner says that this piece of their empire is not on the table, though so many others are. Warner/Chappell, with over a million titles, is a major money-maker.

 

 

 

Company

EMI

Recording Group

EMI

Market Share (2001)

13%

Labels (select)

Capitol, EMI, Blue Note, Parlophone, Angel, Chrysalis, Virgin

Publishing division

Capitol EMI Music Publishing

Distribution division

EMD

Manufacturing division

 

Retail

HMV Group, Columbia House (record club, 50%)

Artists under contract (select)

Sarah Brightman, Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson, Liz Phair, Rolling Stones

Other media holdings (select)

WEMI Television (television)

 

 

EMI is the only major music company that is not part of a conglomerate. For that reason, its declining sales and profits must hurt all the more. The bright point is the music publishing division, which is the largest in the world, with over a million song titles. 

 

 

 

Company

Sony

Recording Group

Sony Music

Market Share (2001)

15%

Labels (select)

Columbia, Epic, Sony, Arc of Light, Vivarte, Soho Square, Mambo, Dragnet, Harmony Records, Legacy Records, Loud Records

Publishing division

Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Distribution division

Sony Distribution

Manufacturing division

Sony Disk

Retail

Columbia House (part)

Artists under contract (select)

Aerosmith, Tori Amos, Placido Domingo, Ricky Martin, Pearl Jam

Other media holdings (select)

Columbia, Sony Studios (film)

 

 

Sony is the number two music company, but its growth has stagnated. Sony's ownership is a product of its its foray into the media world, a decision from which Sony never derived the hoped-for synergy.

 

 

 

Company

Vivendi Universal

Recording Group

Universal Music Group (UMG)

Market Share (2001)

24%

Labels (select)

MCA, Geffen, DGC, Mercury, Polydor, London, Vertigo, Verve, Wing, A&M, Island, Motown, Decca, Interscope, Deutsche Gramophone, Phillips, DefJam

Publishing division

 

Distribution division

Polygram Distribution

Manufacturing division

 

Retail

 

Artists under contract (select)

Andrea Bocelli, Warren G., Nelly, Willie Nelson, Shania Twain

Other media holdings (select)

Universal Studios (film) Canal Plus, USA Networks (television)

 

 

UMG is the world' largest music company, and its growth over the past year has far outstripped its rivals'. Yet it's parent company is in trouble, and it may yet be sold, if anyone wants it enough.

 

 

 

Company

Bertelsmann

Recording Group

Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG)

Market Share (2001)

10%

Labels (select)

RCA, Arista, Wyndham Hill, New Talents, Arte Nova, Zomba, Bluebird, Jive, Bad Boy

Publishing division

BMG Music Publishing

Distribution division

 

Manufacturing division

Sonopress

Retail

BMG Music Services (record club)

Artists under contract (select)

Denyce Graves, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Avril Lavigne, R. Kelly, Britney Spears

Other media holdings (select)

RTL (radio), magazines, newspapers, Random House and many others (books)

 

 

BMG saw a significant decline in sales. Bertelsmann certainly wants to get rid of it.

 

 

 

 

 

New energy drinks for adventure capitalists

 

Solar Spice natural berry flavour and guarana energy drink

 

 

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