162-581: Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California , owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $ 20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Music Group and Interscope Communications , it differed from most record labels by letting A&R staff control decisions and allowing artists and producers full creative control. Interscope's first hit records arrived in under
324-538: A "record group" which is, in turn, controlled by a music group. The constituent companies in a music group or record group are sometimes marketed as being "divisions" of the group. From 1929 to 1998, there were six major record labels, known as the Big Six: PolyGram was merged into Universal Music Group (UMG) in 1999, leaving the remaining record labels to be known as the Big Five. In 2004, Sony and BMG agreed to
486-475: A $ 30 million breach-of-contract suit that alleged that Interscope had withheld millions of dollars in an effort to drive it out of business. Interscope responded that JCOR had hid its true financial position at the time it signed its distribution contract and had attempted to use Interscope's money to finance its business. Record label [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company
648-405: A 50% profit-share agreement, aka 50–50 deal, not uncommon. In addition, independent labels are often artist-owned (although not always), with a stated intent often being to control the quality of the artist's output. Independent labels usually do not enjoy the resources available to the "big three" and as such will often lag behind them in market shares. However, frequently independent artists manage
810-458: A German girlfriend, which precipitated his divorce from Miriam, a minor stockholder and Atlantic's business and publishing manager. By 1958, relations between Abramson and his partners had broken down; in December 1958 a $ 300,000 buy-out was arranged; his stock was split between Nesuhi Ertegun and Abramson's ex-wife Miriam, who had in the meantime remarried to music publisher Freddy Bienstock (later
972-638: A New Orleans distributor phoned Ertegun to obtain Stick McGhee 's "Drinking Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", which was unavailable due to the closing of McGhee's previous label, Harlem Records. Ertegun knew Stick's younger brother Brownie McGhee , with whom Stick happened to be staying, so he contacted the McGhee brothers and re-recorded the song. When released in February 1949, it became Atlantic's first hit, selling 400,000 copies, and reached No. 2 after spending almost six months on
1134-426: A No. 4 R&B hit with " Tweedlee Dee ", but a rival version by Georgia Gibbs went to No. 2 on the pop chart. Big Joe Turner's April 1954 song " Shake, Rattle and Roll " was a No. 1 R&B hit, but it only reached No. 22 on the pop chart. Bill Haley & His Comets 's version reached No. 7, selling over one million copies and becoming the bestselling song of the year for Decca. In July 1954, Wexler and Ertegun wrote
1296-511: A UMG label after being under four different labels with Sony Music since 2006. The singer also announced she will release her fourth album, The Gift of Love , her first ever Christmas album which is set to be released on October 18, 2024. Several artists have criticized Interscope for delaying albums. The label was embroiled in controversy over delaying the release of the singer Bilal 's second album, Love for Sale , because of its creative direction. Dr. Dre had assisted Bilal's production for
1458-558: A US Senate committee, that the Byrds never received any of the royalties they had been promised for their biggest hits, " Mr. Tambourine Man " and " Turn! Turn!, Turn! ". A contract either provides for the artist to deliver completed recordings to the label, or for the label to undertake the recording with the artist. For artists without a recording history, the label is often involved in selecting producers, recording studios , additional musicians, and songs to be recorded, and may supervise
1620-470: A bigger company. If this is the case it can sometimes give the artist greater freedom than if they were signed directly to the big label. There are many examples of this kind of label, such as Nothing Records , owned by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails ; and Morning Records, owned by the Cooper Temple Clause , who were releasing EPs for years before the company was bought by RCA . If an artist and
1782-507: A close working relationship with Ertegun, who was instrumental in her signing with the label. By 1969, the Atlantic 8000 series (1968–72) consisted of R&B, rock, soul/rock and psychedelic acts. Other releases that year include albums by Aretha Franklin ( Soul '69 ), Led Zeppelin ( Led Zeppelin ), Don Covay ( House of Blue Lights ), Boz Scaggs ( Boz Scaggs ), Roberta Flack ( First Take ), Wilson Pickett ( Hey Jude ), Mott
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#17328514259881944-432: A consistent big seller through the mid-1960s and scored hits on Atlantic into 1968. In 1962 folk music was booming and the label came very close to signing Peter, Paul & Mary ; although Wexler and Ertegun pursued them vigorously the deal fell through at the last minute and they later discovered music publisher Artie Mogull had introduced their manager Albert Grossman to Warner Bros. executive Herman Starr, who had made
2106-408: A conventional cash advance to sign the artist, who would receive a royalty for sales after expenses were recouped. With the release of the artist's first album, however, the label has an option to pay an additional $ 200,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the net income from all touring, merchandise, endorsements, and fan-club fees. Atlantic would also have the right to approve the act's tour schedule, and
2268-513: A deal with a proper label. In 2002, ArtistShare was founded as the Internet's first record label where the releases were directly funded by the artist's fans. Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records ) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson . Over the course of its first two decades, starting from
2430-494: A different story, so the story played would be determined by the groove in which the stylus happened to land. In late 1947, James Petrillo , head of the American Federation of Musicians , announced an indefinite ban on all recording activities by union musicians, and this came into effect on January 1, 1948. The union action forced Atlantic to use almost all its capital to cut and stockpile enough recordings to last through
2592-464: A division of his film company, Interscope Communications . To run it, he hired John McClain, who had played a central role in Janet Jackson 's success at A&M Records , and Tom Whalley, who had been the head of A&R at Capitol Records . Separately, Iovine, who had produced records for U2 , Bruce Springsteen , Stevie Nicks , and John Lennon , among others, was trying to raise money to start
2754-430: A donation of $ 1.5 million from Ertegun. In 1952 Atlantic signed Ray Charles, whose hits included " I Got a Woman ", " What'd I Say ", and " Hallelujah I Love Her So ". Later that year The Clovers' " One Mint Julep " reached No. 2. In 1953, after learning that singer Clyde McPhatter had been fired from Billy Ward and His Dominoes and was forming The Drifters , Ertegun signed the group. Their single " Money Honey " became
2916-457: A freelance basis, but within a few years he had been hired as the label's full-time staff engineer. His recordings for Atlantic and Stax influenced pop music. He had more hits than George Martin and Phil Spector combined. Atlantic was one of the first independent labels to make recordings in stereo: Dowd used a portable stereo recorder which ran simultaneously with the studio's existing mono recorder. In 1953 (according to Billboard ) Atlantic
3078-452: A global partnership for Blackpink . Interscope and Universal Music Group would represent the girl group worldwide, outside of Asia. In May 2019, Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer signed with Interscope Records, following their departure from Capitol Records . On March 27, 2020, the band released their fourth studio album Calm . The album was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from critics who praised
3240-891: A jazz singer. Jerry Wexler said, "we're gonna put her back in church." She rose to fame quickly and was called the Queen of Soul. Wexler oversaw production himself at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The result was seven consecutive singles that made both the US Pop and Soul Top 10: " I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) " (Soul No. 1, Pop No. 9), " Respect " (Soul and Pop No. 1), " Baby, I Love You " (Soul No. 1, Pop No. 4), " (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman " (Soul No. 2, Pop No. 8), " Chain of Fools " (Soul No. 1, Pop No. 2), " Since You've Been Gone " (Soul No. 1, Pop No. 5), and " Think " (Soul No. 1, Pop No. 7). In late 1961, singer Solomon Burke arrived at Jerry Wexler's office unannounced. Wexler
3402-609: A joint venture and merged their recorded music division to create the Sony BMG label (which would be renamed Sony Music Entertainment after a 2008 merger); BMG kept its music publishing division separate from Sony BMG and later sold BMG Music Publishing to UMG. In 2007, the remaining record labels—then known as the Big Four—controlled about 70% of the world music market , and about 80% of the United States music market. In 2012,
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#17328514259883564-471: A label want to work together, whether an artist has contacted a label directly, usually by sending their team a demo, or the Artists & Repertoire team of the label has scouted the artist and reached out directly, they will usually enter in to a contractual relationship. A label typically enters into an exclusive recording contract with an artist to market the artist's recordings in return for royalties on
3726-479: A label. "I thought, 'Music is going to change,'" Iovine said in 1997. "'Young bands aren't going to be asking for me.' But I love working with the new thing. I always liked the part of the business that's the first time you hear something, and I knew I wasn't in that business anymore." Iovine and Field were introduced by Paul McGuinness , then U2 's manager. After a series of negotiations led by David Geffen , they came to an agreement, and in 1990, Interscope Records
3888-462: A large international media group , or somewhere in between. The Association of Independent Music (AIM) defines a 'major' as "a multinational company which (together with the companies in its group) has more than 5% of the world market(s) for the sale of records or music videos." As of 2012 , there are only three labels that can be referred to as "major labels": Universal Music Group , Sony Music , and Warner Music Group . In 2014, AIM estimated that
4050-613: A line of sneakers, and when he told Iovine about the idea, Iovine said: "You know speakers, not sneakers." 'Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headphones' were introduced in January 2008 at the annual Consumer Electronics Show . "It took us two years to get them right, but when I heard I knew it was going to be big," Iovine said in 2010. "It's just like listening to a hit record." The marketing for Beats integrated endorsements from Interscope artists including Gwen Stefani , M.I.A. and Pharrell , Lady Gaga, and will.i.am . Lady Gaga's studio debut The Fame
4212-825: A long time." The label's office in the Ritz Hotel in Manhattan proved too expensive, so they moved to a room in the Hotel Jefferson. In the early fifties, Atlantic moved from the Hotel Jefferson to offices at 301 West 54th St and then to 356 West 56th St. Atlantic's first recordings were issued in late January 1948 and included "That Old Black Magic" by Tiny Grimes and "The Spider" by Joe Morris. In its early years, Atlantic concentrated on modern jazz although it released some country and western and spoken word recordings. Abramson also produced "Magic Records", children's records with four grooves on each side, each groove containing
4374-528: A member of N.W.A . The Chronic was released in December 1992. By the end of the following year, The Chronic had sold almost 3 million copies. Snoop Dogg 's debut Doggystyle had sold more than 800,000 copies in its first week alone, and Primus and 4 Non-Blondes had released records which hit the US Top 20. In 1993, with an estimated gross of $ 90 million, Interscope became profitable ahead of projections. Interscope further established its strength in
4536-574: A new label. Described as an amicable parting, Field said he was "anxious to become an entrepreneur again." An agreement with Universal allowed Field to resign a year before his contract was set to expire. Conversely, Whalley, Interscope's president since 1998, accepted the position of chairman of Warner Bros. Records in May 2000 and was not released from his Interscope contract until it expired in August 2001. Interscope/Shady released The Eminem Show , in May 2002 and
4698-418: A partnership in Atlantic's rival Imperial Records , he and Wexler convinced Nesuhi to join Atlantic instead. Nesuhi became head of artists and repertoire ( A&R ), led the label's jazz division, and built a roster that included Shorty Rogers , Jimmy Giuffre , Herbie Mann , Les McCann , Charles Mingus , and John Coltrane . By 1958 Atlantic was America's second-largest independent jazz label. Nesuhi
4860-533: A prescient article for Cash Box devoted to what they called "cat music"; the same month, Atlantic had its first major "crossover" hit on the Billboard pop chart when the " Sh-Boom " by The Chords reached No. 5 (although The Crew-Cuts ' version went to No. 1). Atlantic missed an important signing in 1955 when Sun owner Sam Phillips sold Elvis Presley 's recording contract in a bidding war between labels. Atlantic offered $ 25,000 which, Ertegun later noted, "was all
5022-558: A profit. In 1996, MCA Music Entertainment was renamed Universal Music Group . In 1998, the Universal Music Group parent company Seagram acquired PolyGram Records . MCA's Geffen Records and PolyGram's A&M Records were merged into Interscope, and in early 1999, Interscope Records began operating under the umbrella of Interscope Geffen A&M Records , with Iovine and Field serving as co-chairmen. Iovine's assistant (and former intern) Dean Geistlinger saw Eminem perform at
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5184-438: A reported $ 200 million. Under the agreement, Interscope retained complete creative control over the label's recordings. MCA was not required to distribute material that it deemed offensive. Dre left Death Row in mid-1996 due to what was then reported as tension over the creative direction of the label, and founded Aftermath Entertainment , a new joint venture with Interscope. In November that same year, Aftermath debuted with
5346-441: A reputation for toughness. Staff engineer Tom Dowd recalled, "Tokyo Rose was the kindest name some people had for her" and Doc Pomus described her as "an extraordinarily vitriolic woman". When interviewed in 2009, she attributed her reputation to the company's chronic cash-flow shortage: "... most of the problems we had with artists were that they wanted advances, and that was very difficult for us ... we were undercapitalized for
5508-605: A return by recording for a much smaller production cost of a typical big label release. Sometimes they are able to recoup their initial advance even with much lower sales numbers. On occasion, established artists, once their record contract has finished, move to an independent label. This often gives the combined advantage of name recognition and more control over one's music along with a larger portion of royalty profits. Artists such as Dolly Parton , Aimee Mann , Prince , Public Enemy , among others, have done this. Historically, companies started in this manner have been re-absorbed into
5670-490: A staff producer. Ahmet Ertegun liked him, but Leiber said, "He wasn't likable. He was funny, he was amusing—but he wasn't nice." Wexler disliked him. Miriam Bienstock called him "a pain in the neck". When Spector criticized Bobby Darin's songwriting, Darin had him thrown out of the house. Atlantic tolerated Spector but with diminishing returns. He produced " Twist and Shout " for The Top Notes, and it flopped. Songwriter Bert Berns hated Spector's arrangement and thought it ruined
5832-553: A year, and it achieved profitability in 1993. Chair and CEO until May 2014, Iovine was succeeded by John Janick . In 1992, Interscope acquired the exclusive rights to market and distribute releases from hardcore hip hop label Death Row Records , a decision that ultimately put the label at the center of the mid-1990s gangsta rap controversy . As a result, Time Warner , then the parent of Warner Music Group, severed ties with Interscope by selling its 50 percent stake back to Field and Iovine for $ 115 million in 1995. In 1996, 50% of
5994-544: Is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos , or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture , distribution , marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos, while also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists , artist financing and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from
6156-454: Is often marketed as a "unit" or "division" of the parent label, though in most cases, they operate as pseudonym for it and do not exist as a distinct business operation or separate business structure (although trademarks are sometimes registered). A record label may give a musical act an imprint as part of their branding, while other imprints serve to house other activities, such as side ventures of that label. Music collectors often use
6318-684: Is owned by Sony Group Corporation ). Record labels and music publishers that are not under the control of the big three are generally considered to be independent ( indie ), even if they are large corporations with complex structures. The term indie label is sometimes used to refer to only those independent labels that adhere to independent criteria of corporate structure and size, and some consider an indie label to be almost any label that releases non-mainstream music, regardless of its corporate structure. Independent labels are often considered more artist-friendly. Though they may have less sales power, indie labels typically offer larger artist royalty with
6480-528: The Billboard R&;B chart – although McGhee himself earned just $ 10 for the session. Atlantic's fortunes rose rapidly: 187 songs were recorded in 1949, more than three times the amount from the previous two years, and received overtures for a manufacturing and distribution deal with Columbia , which would pay Atlantic a 3% royalty on every copy sold. Ertegun asked about artists' royalties, which he paid, and this surprised Columbia executives, who did not, and
6642-448: The Billboard 200 at number one, his sixth album to do so. Born This Way by Lady Gaga was released in May 2011, and debuted at number one in 23 countries. In the US, with more than one million copies sold in its first week, it had the highest first-week album sales in five years. Four of the album's singles—"Born This Way", "Judas", "The Edge of Glory", and "You and I"—charted in the top ten of
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6804-478: The Billboard Hot 100. Interscope signed Madonna and Van Halen in 2011. Both artists were previously signed to Warner Bros. Records ; both released their first records for Interscope in 2012. In October 2012, John Janick was named president and COO of Interscope Geffen A&M. The founder of Fueled By Ramen , Janick had previous success with artists including Jimmy Eat World , Fall Out Boy , Panic! at
6966-484: The Billboard album charts at number one in March 2015. A week later, Kendrick Lamar 's album To Pimp a Butterfly appeared at number one, a position it held for two consecutive weeks. Lamar won five Grammys in 2016. In August 2017, JoJo announced she had re-signed to Interscope, in a joint venture deal to launch her own music imprint, Clover Music . In October 2018, YG Entertainment teamed up with Interscope Records in
7128-414: The Billboard year end album charts in 2014: The Marshall Mathers LP 2 by Eminem , Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey , V by Maroon 5 , Native from OneRepublic , Lady Gaga's ARTPOP , and Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q . In December 2014 it was announced that Selena Gomez , previously signed to Hollywood Records , had signed with Interscope. Imagine Dragons ' Smoke + Mirrors debuted on
7290-539: The Billboard 200 and the album went on to be certified 9× platinum in America. In April, it was announced that 50 Cent would sign and develop artists for release on G-Unit Records , which would be marketed and distributed through Interscope. 50 Cent's success allowed G-Unit artists to release their own projects. G-Unit's Lloyd Banks released his debut studio album, The Hunger for More in June 2004 through Interscope. Anchored by
7452-567: The Warner Music Group , and expanded into rock and pop music with releases by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young , Led Zeppelin , and Yes . In 2004, Atlantic and its sister label Elektra were merged into the Atlantic Records Group . Craig Kallman is the chairman of Atlantic. Ahmet Ertegun served as founding chairman until his death on December 14, 2006, at age 83. In 1944, brothers Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun remained in
7614-459: The free software and open source movements and the success of Linux . In the mid-2000s, some music publishing companies began undertaking the work traditionally done by labels. The publisher Sony/ATV Music, for example, leveraged its connections within the Sony family to produce, record, distribute, and promote Elliott Yamin 's debut album under a dormant Sony-owned imprint , rather than waiting for
7776-505: The "parent" of any sublabels. Vanity labels are labels that bear an imprint that gives the impression of an artist's ownership or control, but in fact represent a standard artist/label relationship. In such an arrangement, the artist will control nothing more than the usage of the name on the label, but may enjoy a greater say in the packaging of their work. An example of such a label is the Neutron label owned by ABC while at Phonogram Inc. in
7938-442: The 1970s when it signed Bad Company , Led Zeppelin , and Yes . Despite the huge success Atlantic was enjoying with its own artists and through its deal with Stax, by 1967, Jerry Wexler was seriously concerned about the disintegration of the old order of independent record companies; fearing for the label's future, he began agitating for it to be sold to a larger company. Label President Ahmet Ertegun still had no desire to sell, but
8100-598: The Coasters and "What'd I Say" by Ray Charles. Although these were primarily 45rpm mono singles for much of the 1950s Dowd stockpiled his "parallel" stereo takes for future release. In 1968 the label issued History of Rhythm and Blues, Volume 4 in stereo. Stereo versions of Ray Charles "What'd I Say" and "Night Time is the Right Time" were included on the Atlantic anthology The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings, 1952–1959 . Atlantic's New York studio
8262-573: The Crypt 's Circa: Now! , and, through a joint venture with TVT / Nothing Records , the Nine Inch Nails EP Broken . However, Interscope's success with alternative and rock music was eclipsed by controversy which began in September 1992, when Vice President Dan Quayle called on Interscope to withdraw 2Pacalypse Now, stating that it was responsible for the death of a Texas state trooper, who
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#17328514259888424-497: The Disco and Paramore . At the time of his appointment, it was reported that Iovine had chosen Janick as his eventual successor—Iovine's attention had increasingly turned to Beats, which dominated the headphone market with 2012 revenues of $ 512 million. In May 2014, following Apple's acquisition of Beats, Iovine resigned. As anticipated, Janick was named chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M. Six Interscope releases appeared in
8586-549: The Ertegun brothers held the majority of stock while Wexler controlled about 20 percent. Ertegun started lifelong grudges against Leiber and Stoller, and his relationship with Wexler was damaged. Atlantic was doing so well in early 1959 that some scheduled releases were held back, and the company enjoyed two successive months of gross sales of over $ 1 million that summer, thanks to hits by The Coasters, The Drifters, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, and Clyde McPhatter. Months later
8748-481: The Ertegun brothers vice-president of Progressive. Atlantic played a major role in popularizing the genre that Jerry Wexler dubbed rhythm & blues, and it profited handsomely. The market for these records exploded during late 1953 and early 1954 as R&B hits crossed over to the mainstream (i.e. white) audience. In its tenth anniversary feature on Atlantic, Billboard noted, "... a very big R&B record might achieve 250,000 sales, but from this point on (1953–54),
8910-561: The Hoople ( Mott the Hoople ), and Black Pearl ( Black Pearl ). In 1969, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts was taken over by the Kinney National Company , and in the early 1970s the group was rebadged as Warner Communications . After buying Elektra Records and its sister label Nonesuch Records in 1970, Kinney combined the operations of all of its record labels under a new holding company, WEA , and also known as Warner Music Group . WEA
9072-677: The Hop " made the Top 10 on both the US pop and R&B charts and charted in the UK. " Dream Lover " reached No. 2 in the US and No. 1 in the UK and became a multi-million seller. " Mack the Knife " (1959) went to No. 1 in both the US and the UK, sold over 2 million copies, and won the 1960 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. " Beyond the Sea " became Darin's fourth consecutive Top 10 hit in
9234-589: The Kid with Cameron Crowe in Rolling Stone, Elton John said: "I was so furious with Interscope Records because they put it out and they dropped it. I had meetings in the South of France, and I said, 'I know this isn't a commercial album, I just want you to do your best,' and they dropped it like a fucking turd. It's probably why I didn't make another solo record. It was pure heartbreak." John would later return to Interscope in
9396-502: The Pack " by The Shangri-Las , but Red Bird's finances were precarious. In 1964 they approached Jerry Wexler and proposed a merger with Atlantic. When interviewed in 1990 for Ertegun's biography, Wexler declined to discuss the matter, but Ertegun claimed these negotiations were a plan to buy him out. In September 1964, the Ertegun brothers and Wexler were in the process of buying out the company's other two shareholders, Sabit and Bienstock, and it
9558-486: The R&;B chart. Brown recorded more than eighty songs for Atlantic, becoming its bestselling, most prolific musician of the period. So significant was Brown's success to Atlantic that the label became known colloquially as "The House That Ruth Built". Joe Morris , one of the label's earliest signings, scored a hit with his October 1950 song "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", the first Atlantic record issued in 45rpm format, which
9720-659: The Rap Olympics in Los Angeles in 1997 and passed Eminem's CD on to Iovine; Iovine, in turn, passed it on to Dre. In February 1999, Interscope and Aftermath released The Slim Shady LP . The album entered the charts at number two, and won two Grammy Awards. Later in 1999 Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg , founded Shady Records . In 1998, Interscope signed a joint-venture deal with Ruff Ryders . On June 22, 1999, Interscope/Flip records released Limp Bizkit 's second studio album Significant Other selling 643,874 copies in
9882-647: The Stax house band resulted in " Green Onions ". The single was issued in August 1962 and became the biggest instrumental hit of the year, reaching No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the pop chart, selling over one million copies. Over the next five years Stax and its subsidiary Volt provided Atlantic with many hits, such as " Respect " by Otis Redding, " Knock on Wood " by Eddie Floyd, " Hold On, I'm Comin' " by Sam and Dave, and " Mustang Sally " by Wilson Pickett. Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic in 1966 after her contract with Columbia expired. Columbia tried to market her as
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#173285142598810044-456: The Stax masters, so the distribution deal ended in May 1968. Atlantic continues to hold the rights to Stax recordings it distributed in the 1960s. In the wake of the takeover, Jerry Wexler's influence in the company rapidly diminished; by his own admission, he and Ertegun had run Atlantic as "utmost despots" but in the new corporate structure, he found himself unwilling to accept the delegation of responsibility that his executive role dictated. He
10206-416: The UK six or seven times every year in search of acts to sign to the label. For much of its early history, Jerry Wexler had been managers of the label, while Ertegun had concentrated on A&R and had less interest in the business side. But that changed after the sale to Warner. Although Ertegun had been forced into accepting the sale, he turned the situation to his advantage. He gained executive control of
10368-456: The UK. At one point artist Lizzie Tear (under contract with ABC themselves) appeared on the imprint, but it was devoted almost entirely to ABC's offerings and is still used for their re-releases (though Phonogram owns the masters of all the work issued on the label). However, not all labels dedicated to particular artists are completely superficial in origin. Many artists, early in their careers, create their own labels which are later bought out by
10530-443: The US and UK. He signed with Capitol and moved for Hollywood to attempt a movie career, but hits such as " You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby " and " Things " continued to benefit Atco through 1962. Darin returned to Atlantic in 1965. In 1965, Atlantic formed a budget label called Clarion Records. 21 albums were released simultaneously in 1965, all of them shown on the back cover of their releases. No further albums were issued as
10692-606: The US in 2019. In 2007, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor criticized Universal Music Group for the inflated price of Year Zero in Australia. In an interview with the Herald Sun in Melbourne, he said that an employee of UMG stated that NIN had "a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more...True fans will pay whatever." Nine Inch Nails signed with Columbia Records in 2013. On November 7, 2011, it
10854-567: The United States Attorney's Office regarding this matter". In 1997, Trauma Records filed a $ 100 million lawsuit against Interscope that charged the company with fraud and the unfulfillment of a two-year promise to assign No Doubt to Trauma's roster. After a four-month dispute, the partnership was dissolved in an out-of-court agreement. Trauma Records principals reportedly received an additional $ 3 million; No Doubt remained with Interscope. In 2002, JCOR founder Jay Faires filed
11016-483: The United States when their mother and sister returned to Turkey after the death of their father Munir Ertegun , Turkey's first ambassador to the U.S. The brothers were fans of jazz and rhythm & blues, amassing a collection of over 15,000 78 RPM records. Ahmet ostensibly stayed in Washington to undertake post-graduate music studies at Georgetown University but immersed himself in the Washington music scene and entered
11178-546: The United States would typically bear a 4th & B'way logo and would state in the fine print, "4th & B'way™, an Island Records, Inc. company". Collectors discussing labels as brands would say that 4th & B'way is a sublabel or imprint of just "Island" or "Island Records". Similarly, collectors who choose to treat corporations and trademarks as equivalent might say 4th & B'way is an imprint and/or sublabel of both Island Records, Ltd. and that company's sublabel, Island Records, Inc. However, such definitions are complicated by
11340-417: The United States, becoming the fastest-selling rock album in history. Cementing Nu Metal 's status in pop culture as a top selling genre during the 2000s. Also Interscope began its relationship with U2 after it acquired the US rights to market and distribute the album All That You Can't Leave Behind . Iovine had been trying to sign U2 since 1990. In 2001, Field resigned as co-chairman of Interscope to start
11502-602: The United States. Feist and Robyn were among Cherrytree's first artists. Four of Interscope's releases were in the top 10 of the year end sales charts in 2005: The Massacre (50 Cent) at number one, Encore (Eminem) at number two, Love.Angel.Music.Baby. ( Gwen Stefani ) at number six, and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (U2) at number eight. The Game 's The Documentary appeared at number 16, and The Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business charted at number 18. In 2006, Dre and Iovine established Beats Electronics . Dre had been approached by his attorney to start
11664-541: The Warner recording division was booming – by mid-1968 Warner's recording and publishing interests were generating 74% of the group's total profits. The sale of Atlantic Records activated a clause in the distribution agreement with Stax Records calling for renegotiation of the distribution deal and at this point, the Stax partners discovered that the deal gave Atlantic ownership of all the Stax recordings Atlantic distributed. The new Warner owners refused to relinquish ownership of
11826-611: The album Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath . The Death Row deal remained in place until 1997, when Knight was imprisoned for parole violations. In November 1996, with records by Bush, Snoop Dogg, No Doubt, and Tupac Shakur, Interscope became the first label in 20 years to hold the top 4 positions on the Billboard charts. Six additional Interscope releases were in the Top 100. The label was frequently criticized for overspending on artist acquisitions and joint ventures, however, with revenue for 1996 estimated at $ 250 million, it operated at
11988-532: The album in a limited role. After it leaked in 2006, Interscope notoriously shelved the release indefinitely, giving rise to rumors that the label had leaked it on purpose. In 2013, M.I.A. said her album Matangi was held because the label felt the record she turned in was "too positive" for her fans. In 2010, rapper Eve left Interscope after a three-year delay of her album Lip Lock . Blink-182 , All Time Low , and 50 Cent have similarly criticized Interscope. In discussing his 2006 album The Captain &
12150-407: The album will sell better if the artist complies with the label's desired requests or changes. At times, the record label's decisions are prudent ones from a commercial perspective, but these decisions may frustrate artists who feel that their art is being diminished or misrepresented by such actions. In other instances, record labels have shelved artists' albums with no intention of any promotion for
12312-433: The album would be their lowest-selling of their career up to that point. The band would go in hiatus in 2006, after releasing The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) , their first EP and later their first greatest hits album called Greatest Hitz in 2005. They both would sell 2,000,000 and 3,500,000 for a combined total of 5,500,000 worldwide. In November 2003, Universal Music Group acquired DreamWorks Records and in 2004 it
12474-525: The alternative and rock genres in 1994. A $ 2.5 million investment to establish a joint venture with Trauma Records yielded three number-one Modern Rock tracks and a platinum-certified album with Bush 's Sixteen Stone . The Nine Inch Nails album The Downward Spiral went to number two on the US charts and was widely acclaimed. Marilyn Manson 's Portrait of an American Family , The Toadies album Rubberneck and Helmet's Betty were commercially successful and critically embraced. In May 1995,
12636-411: The artist from their contract, leaving the artist in a state of limbo. Artists who have had disputes with their labels over ownership and control of their music have included Taylor Swift , Tinashe , Megan Thee Stallion , Kelly Clarkson , Thirty Seconds to Mars , Clipse , Ciara , JoJo , Michelle Branch , Kesha , Kanye West , Lupe Fiasco , Paul McCartney , and Johnny Cash . In
12798-415: The artist in question. Reasons for shelving can include the label deciding to focus its resources on other artists on its roster, or the label undergoing a restructure where the person that signed the artist and supports the artist's vision is no longer present to advocate for the artist. In extreme cases, record labels can prevent the release of an artist's music for years, while also declining to release
12960-425: The artist is established and has a loyal fan base. For that reason, labels now have to be more relaxed with the development of artists because longevity is the key to these types of pact. Several artists such as Paramore , Maino , and even Madonna have signed such types of deals. A look at an actual 360 deal offered by Atlantic Records to an artist shows a variation of the structure. Atlantic's document offers
13122-484: The artists may be downloaded free of charge or for a fee that is paid via PayPal or other online payment system. Some of these labels also offer hard copy CDs in addition to direct download. Digital Labels are the latest version of a 'net' label. Whereas 'net' labels were started as a free site, digital labels represent more competition for the major record labels. The new century brought the phenomenon of open-source or open-content record labels. These are inspired by
13284-406: The balance of power had changed since the abortive takeover attempt of 1962; Atlantic's original investor Dr Vahdi Sabit and minority stockholder Miriam Bienstock had both been bought out in September 1964 and the other remaining partner, Nesuhi Ertegun, was eventually convinced to side with Wexler. Since they jointly held more stock, Ahmet was obliged to agree to the sale. In October 1967, Atlantic
13446-1052: The ban, which was expected to continue for at least a year. Ertegun and Abramson spent much of the late 1940s and early 1950s scouring nightclubs in search of talent. Ertegun composed songs under the alias "A. Nugetre", including Big Joe Turner's hit " Chains of Love ", recording them in booths in Times Square, then giving them to an arranger or session musician. Early releases included music by Sidney Bechet , Barney Bigard , The Cardinals , The Clovers , Frank Culley , The Delta Rhythm Boys , Erroll Garner , Dizzy Gillespie , Tiny Grimes , Al Hibbler , Earl Hines , Johnny Hodges , Jackie & Roy , Lead Belly , Meade Lux Lewis , Professor Longhair , Shelly Manne , Howard McGhee , Mabel Mercer , James Moody , Joe Morris , Art Pepper , Django Reinhardt , Pete Rugolo , Pee Wee Russell , Bobby Short , Sylvia Syms , Billy Taylor , Sonny Terry , Big Joe Turner , Jimmy Yancey , Sarah Vaughan , Mal Waldron , and Mary Lou Williams . In early 1949,
13608-403: The band's artistic growth and maturity. The album charted in more than 25 countries on several charts, the album peaked in the top 10 on 17 charts and debuted atop the charts at number one in Australia, the UK and Scotland. Interscope became the flagship label of Interscope Capitol Labels Group beginning in 2024. The label also signed American singer Jennifer Hudson , her first time being under
13770-558: The biggest R&B hit of the year. Their records created some controversy: the suggestive " Such A Night " was banned by radio station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan , and "Honey Love" was banned in Memphis, Tennessee but both reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&;B chart. Recording engineer and producer Tom Dowd played a crucial role in Atlantic's success. He initially worked for Atlantic on
13932-650: The circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry , recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and promote their singles on streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists , who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets. Record labels may be small, localized and " independent " ("indie"), or they may be part of
14094-434: The claims with a statement that read: "There is no evidence that any employee of UMG or Interscope Records had any involvement in the drug trafficking ring being prosecuted by that office, nor any knowledge of the contents of any of the packages that were purportedly shipped to its offices. Further, neither UMG nor Interscope Records are a subject or target of the investigation. UMG and Interscope will continue to cooperate with
14256-494: The co-owner of Satellite, Jim Stewart , who agreed to lease the record to Atlantic for $ 1000 plus a small royalty—the first money the label had ever made. The deal included a $ 5000 payment against a five-year option on all other records. Satellite was renamed Stax after the owners, Stewart and Axton. The deal marked the start of a successful eight-year association between the two labels, giving Stax access to Atlantic's promotions and distribution. Wexler recalled, "We didn't pay for
14418-555: The company began pressing in January 1951. The Clovers' "Don't You Know I Love You" (composed by Ertegun) became the label's first R&B No. 1 in September 1951. A few weeks later, Brown's "Teardrops from My Eyes" became its first million-selling record. She hit No. 1 again in March–April 1952 with " 5-10-15 Hours ". "Daddy Daddy" reached No. 3 in September 1952, and " Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean " with Connie Kay on drums reached No. 1 in February and March 1953. After Brown left
14580-601: The company to Field and Iovine for $ 115 million. Ownership in Interscope was aggressively pursued by EMI , BMG , PolyGram and MCA. On December 1, 1995, the Los Angeles Times noted that with five albums on that week's pop charts and sales of $ 350 million over the previous three years, "what may have been a smart move politically for Time Warner is now looking like a financial fiasco." In February 1996, MCA Records —then owned by Seagram —bought 50% of Interscope for
14742-445: The company was reeling from the successive loss of its two biggest artists, Bobby Darin and Ray Charles, who together accounted for one-third of sales. Darin moved to Los Angeles and signed with Capitol. Charles signed a contract with ABC-Paramount that included higher royalties, a production deal, profit-sharing, and eventual ownership of his master tapes. "I thought we were going to die", Wexler recalled. In 1990 he and Ertegun disputed
14904-403: The company. Some independent labels become successful enough that major record companies negotiate contracts to either distribute music for the label or in some cases, purchase the label completely, to the point where it functions as an imprint or sublabel. A label used as a trademark or brand and not a company is called an imprint , a term used for a similar concept in publishing . An imprint
15066-440: The content of Charles's contract, which caused a rift. Ertegun remained friendly with Bobby Darin, who returned to Atlantic in 1966. Ray Charles returned to Atlantic in 1977. In 1960, Atlantic's Memphis distributor Buster Williams contacted Wexler and told him he was pressing large quantities of "Cause I Love You", a duet between Carla Thomas and her father Rufus which was released by the small label Satellite. Wexler contacted
15228-565: The controversy related to gangsta rap and explicit lyrics intensified as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole accused Interscope of releasing music that glorified violence and degraded women. Among others, the label was criticized by William J. Bennett , a former Education Secretary, and C. DeLores Tucker , the chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women. In September, Time Warner announced it would disassociate itself from Interscope by selling its half-interest in
15390-400: The corporate mergers that occurred in 1989 (when Island was sold to PolyGram) and 1998 (when PolyGram merged with Universal). PolyGram held sublabels including Mercury, Island and Motown. Island remained registered as corporations in both the United States and UK , but control of its brands changed hands multiple times as new companies were formed, diminishing the corporation's distinction as
15552-516: The deal was scuttled. On the recommendation of broadcaster Willis Conover , Ertegun and Abramson visited Ruth Brown at the Crystal Caverns club in Washington and invited her to audition for Atlantic. She was injured in a car accident en route to New York City, but Atlantic supported her for nine months and then signed her. "So Long", her first record for the label, was recorded with Eddie Condon 's band on May 25, 1949. The song reached No. 6 on
15714-416: The early days of the recording industry, recording labels were absolutely necessary for the success of any artist. The first goal of any new artist or band was to get signed to a contract as soon as possible. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, many artists were so desperate to sign a contract with a record company that they sometimes ended up signing agreements in which they sold the rights to their recordings to
15876-512: The end of their contract with EMI when their album In Rainbows was released as a " pay what you want " sales model as an online download, but they also returned to a label for a conventional release. Research shows that record labels still control most access to distribution. Computers and internet technology led to an increase in file sharing and direct-to-fan digital distribution, causing music sales to plummet in recent years. Labels and organizations have had to change their strategies and
16038-473: The final six months of 1999. Interscope/Shady released Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP on May 23, 2000. The fastest-selling rap album in history, it sold 1.76 million copies in its first week. On October 19, 2000, Interscope/Flip records released Limp Bizkit's third studio album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water and it would shift 1.05 million copies in its first week in
16200-710: The first being Cat Records . By the mid-1950s Atlantic had an informal agreement with the French label Barclay , and the two companies regularly exchanged titles, usually jazz recordings. Atlantic also began to get recordings distributed in the United Kingdom, first through EMI on a 'one-off' basis. But in September 1955 Miriam Abramson traveled to the UK and signed a distribution deal with Decca. Miriam recalled, "I would deal with people there who were not really comfortable with women in business, so...we would do business very quickly and get it over with." A subsidiary label, Atco ,
16362-520: The first week. In the second week, it sold an additional 335,000 copies. It would go on to sell 7,000,000 copies in the US. Being certified 7x Platinum in 2001. It would go on to sell 16,000,000 copies worldwide. By the close of the decade, Interscope sales accounted for nearly one-third of Seagram's 27% share of the U.S. music market. Records by Limp Bizkit, Eminem, Dre, Eve , Nine Inch Nails , Enrique Iglesias , Blackstreet , Smash Mouth and others generated an estimated $ 40 million in profit during
16524-519: The hit " Ruby Baby " for The Drifters . Record producer Phil Spector moved to New York to work with Leiber and Stoller. He learned his trade at Trey Records, a label in California owned by Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood and distributed by Atlantic. Sill recommended Spector to Leiber and Stoller, who assigned him to produce " Corrine, Corrina " by Ray Peterson and " Pretty Little Angel Eyes " by Curtis Lee. Both became hits, and Atlantic hired him as
16686-423: The industry began to see million sellers, one after the other, in the R&B field". Billboard said Atlantic's "fresh sound" and the quality of its recordings, arrangements, and musicians was a great advance from standard R&B records. For five years Atlantic "dominated the rhythm and blues chart with its roster of powerhouse artists". Beginning in 1954, Atlantic created or acquired several subsidiary labels,
16848-437: The label and quickly became a major force in the expanding Warner music group. During 1968, Atlantic established a new subsidiary label, Cotillion Records . The label was originally formed as an outlet for blues and deep Southern soul; its first single, Otis Clay 's version of "She's About A Mover", was an R&B hit. Cotillion's catalog quickly expanded to include progressive rock, folk-rock, gospel, jazz and comedy. In 1976,
17010-408: The label and influenced the Warner group. By contrast, Wexler was disenchanted by Atlantic's move into rock; he left in 1975. Wexler's protégé Jerry L. Greenberg replaced him and played a role in Atlantic's success during the 1970s. In seven years, Greenberg went from personal assistant to president of the label. Wexler had hired Greenberg and acted as his mentor, teaching him the daily operations of
17172-465: The label in 1961, her career declined, and she worked as a cleaner and bus driver to support her children. In the 1980s she sued Atlantic for unpaid royalties; although Atlantic, which prided itself on treating artists fairly, had stopped paying royalties to some musicians. Ertegun denied this was intentional. Brown received a voluntary payment of $ 20,000 and founded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1988 with
17334-536: The label lasted less than a year. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote "Smokey Joe's Cafe", which became a hit for The Robins. Their label Spark was bought by Atlantic, and they were hired as America's first independent record producers, free to produce for other labels. Two members of The Robins formed The Coasters and recorded hits for Atlantic, such as " Down in Mexico " and " Young Blood ". " Yakety Yak " became Atlantic's first No. 1 pop hit. Leiber and Stoller also wrote
17496-413: The label started focusing on disco and R&B. Among its acts were the post-Curtis Mayfield Impressions , Slave , Brook Benton , Jean Knight , Mass Production , Sister Sledge , The Velvet Underground , Stacy Lattisaw , Lou Donaldson , Mylon LeFevre , Stevie Woods , Johnny Gill , Emerson, Lake & Palmer , Garland Green , The Dynamics , The Fabulous Counts , and The Fatback Band . Cotillion
17658-764: The label was acquired for a reported $ 200 million by MCA Inc. , later known as Universal Music Group. Interscope's artist roster includes Sting , Eminem , Snoop Dogg , Lady Gaga , OneRepublic , Dermot Kennedy , Blackpink , Dr. Dre , DaBaby , Billie Eilish , Finneas , Imagine Dragons , Olivia Rodrigo , Selena Gomez , Camila Cabello , Playboi Carti , Kendrick Lamar , Jennifer Hudson , Ken Carson , Destroy Lonely , Jay Rock , ScHoolboy Q , Lana Del Rey , Maroon 5 , Moneybagg Yo , Gwen Stefani , Rae Sremmurd , Gracie Abrams , Zedd , Machine Gun Kelly , U2 , Yeat , Yungblud , Cuco , Juice WRLD , d4vd , Homixide Gang , Reneé Rapp , J. Cole and Karol G . In 1989, Ted Field began to build Interscope Records as
17820-401: The label was deteriorating in 1962. The breaking point came when they asked for a producer's royalty. It was granted informally, but their accountant insisted on a written contract and an audit of Atlantic's accounts. The audit revealed Leiber and Stoller had been underpaid by $ 18,000. Although Leiber considered dropping the matter, Stoller pressed Atlantic for payment. Wexler exploded and replied
17982-718: The label was that artists would have complete creative control. Interscope's first release was " Rico Suave " by Ecuadorian rapper Gerardo in December 1990; the single reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in April 1991. Primus ' Interscope debut, Sailing the Seas of Cheese , was released in May, followed by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch 's Music for the People in July. It included
18144-420: The label's few R&B albums, reserving the 1200 series for jazz. Joel Dorn became Nesuhi's assistant after his successful production of Hubert Laws ' album The Laws of Jazz . When Abramson returned from military service in 1955, he realized that he had been replaced by Wexler as Ahmet's partner. Abramson did not get along with either Wexler or Nesuhi Ertegun, and he had returned from military service with
18306-678: The major divisions of EMI were sold off separately by owner Citigroup : most of EMI's recorded music division was absorbed into UMG; EMI Music Publishing was absorbed into Sony/ATV Music Publishing; finally, EMI's Parlophone and Virgin Classics labels were absorbed into Warner Music Group (WMG) in July 2013. This left the so-called Big Three labels. In 2020 and 2021, both WMG and UMG had their IPO with WMG starting trading at Nasdaq and UMG starting trading at Euronext Amsterdam and leaving only Sony Music as wholly-owned subsidiary of an international conglomerate ( Sony Entertainment which in turn
18468-433: The major labels (two examples are American singer Frank Sinatra 's Reprise Records , which has been owned by Warner Music Group for some time now, and musician Herb Alpert 's A&M Records , now owned by Universal Music Group). Similarly, Madonna 's Maverick Records (started by Madonna with her manager and another partner) was to come under control of Warner Music when Madonna divested herself of controlling shares in
18630-537: The majors had a collective global market share of some 65–70%. Record labels are often under the control of a corporate umbrella organization called a "music group ". A music group is usually affiliated to an international conglomerate " holding company ", which often has non-music divisions as well. A music group controls and consists of music-publishing companies, record (sound recording) manufacturers, record distributors, and record labels. Record companies (manufacturers, distributors, and labels) may also constitute
18792-583: The masters...Jim paid for the masters and then he would send us a finished tape and we would put it out. Our costs began at the production level—the pressing, and distribution, and promotion, and advertising." The deal to distribute Satellite's " Last Night " by The Mar-Keys on the Satellite label marked the first time Atlantic began marketing outside tracks on a non-Atlantic label. Atlantic began pressing and distributing Stax records. Wexler sent Tom Dowd to upgrade Stax's recording equipment and facilities. Wexler
18954-527: The money we had then." But they were outbid by RCA 's offer of $ 45,000. In 1990 Ertegun remarked, "The president of RCA at the time had been extensively quoted in Variety damning R&B music as immoral. He soon stopped when RCA signed Elvis Presley." Ahmet's older brother Nesuhi was hired in January 1955. He had been living in Los Angeles for several years and had intermittent contact with his younger brother. But when Ahmet learned that Nesuhi had been offered
19116-508: The number-one single " Good Vibrations ". Two days after first hearing his demo, Whalley signed Tupac Shakur in August 1991, and by November, Interscope released 2Pacalypse Now , Shakur's studio debut. Interscope began to develop a significant presence in the genre of alternative rock in 1992. In addition to a second Primus album, the label released No Doubt 's self-titled debut, Helmet 's Meantime , 4 Non Blondes ' Bigger, Better, Faster, More! , acquired and re-released Rocket from
19278-507: The output of recording sessions. For established artists, a label is usually less involved in the recording process. The relationship between record labels and artists can be a difficult one. Many artists have had conflicts with their labels over the type of sound or songs they want to make, which can result in the artist's artwork or titles being changed before release. Other artists have had their music prevented from release, or shelved. Record labels generally do this because they believe that
19440-614: The owner of the Carlin Music / Chappell Music publishing empire). Abramson's departure opened the way for Ahmet Ertegun to take over as president of the label. The roles of the other executives with Abramson's departure were Wexler as executive vice-president and general manager, Nesuhi Ertegun as executive vice-president in charge of the LP department and Miriam Bienstock as vice-president and also president of Atlantic's music publishing arm Progressive Music with Wexler as executive vice-president and
19602-399: The payment would mean the end of their relationship with the label. Leiber and Stoller backed down, but the relationship ended anyway. Their assignment to work on The Drifter's next recording was given to Phil Spector. Leiber and Stoller worked briefly for United Artists , then started Red Bird with George Goldner . They had hits with " Chapel of Love " by The Dixie Cups and " Leader of
19764-485: The previous year, 78s had outsold 45s by a ratio of two to one. In February 1953, Herb Abramson was drafted into the U.S. Army. He moved to Germany, where he served in the Army Dental Corps, although he retained his post as president of Atlantic on full pay. Ertegun hired Billboard reporter Jerry Wexler in June 1953. Wexler is credited with coining the term " rhythm & blues " to replace " race music ". He
19926-647: The record business, which was enjoying a resurgence after wartime restrictions on the shellac used in manufacture. He convinced the family dentist, Vahdi Sabit, to invest $ 10,000 and hired Herb Abramson , a dentistry student. Abramson had worked as a part-time A&R manager/producer for Al Green at the jazz label National Records , signing Big Joe Turner and Billy Eckstine . He founded Jubilee in 1946 but had no interest in its most successful musicians. In September 1947, he sold his share in Jubilee to his partner, Jerry Blaine , and invested $ 2,500 in Atlantic. Atlantic
20088-440: The record business. From Ertegun he learned how to treat musicians. In 1968, by Peter Grant flew to New York with tapes of the debut album by British rock band Led Zeppelin . Ertegun and Wexler knew of the group's leader, Jimmy Page, through The Yardbirds , and their favorable opinion was reinforced by Dusty Springfield , who recommended Atlantic sign the band. Atlantic signed the band to an exclusive five-year contract, one of
20250-543: The record label in perpetuity. Entertainment lawyers are usually employed by artists to discuss contract terms. Due to advancing technology such as the Internet , the role of labels is rapidly changing, as artists are able to freely distribute their own material through online radio , peer-to-peer file sharing such as BitTorrent , and other services, at little to no cost, but with correspondingly low financial returns. Established artists, such as Nine Inch Nails , whose career
20412-435: The release of its first recordings in January 1948, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most important American labels, specializing in jazz , R&B , and soul by Aretha Franklin , Ray Charles , Wilson Pickett , Sam and Dave , Ruth Brown and Otis Redding . Its position was greatly improved by its distribution deal with Stax . In 1967, Atlantic became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts , now
20574-418: The salaries of certain tour and merchandise sales employees hired by the artist. In addition, the label also offers the artist a 30 percent cut of the label's album profits—if any—which represents an improvement from the typical industry royalty of 15 percent. With the Internet now being the dominant source for obtaining music, netlabels have emerged. Depending on the ideals of the net label, music files from
20736-419: The selling price of the recordings. Contracts may extend over short or long durations, and may or may not refer to specific recordings. Established, successful artists tend to be able to renegotiate their contracts to get terms more favorable to them, but Prince 's much-publicized 1994–1996 feud with Warner Bros. Records provides a strong counterexample, as does Roger McGuinn 's claim, made in July 2000 before
20898-468: The song, so Berns re-recorded it with The Isley Brothers and it became a hit. During his short time at Atlantic, Spector produced music for LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Jean DuShon , and Billy Storm. In 1961, he left the label, returned to Los Angeles, and founded Philles Records with Lester Sill. Spector became one of the most successful record producers of the 1960s. Although Leiber and Stoller wrote many popular songs for Atlantic, their relationship with
21060-403: The soundtrack for Eminem's semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile in October; the two titles combined sold more than 11,000,000 records before the end of the year. In 2002, New York City rapper 50 Cent signed to Interscope with a $ 1 million advance. 50 Cent's major-label debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released on February 6, 2003, through Interscope. The album debuted at number one on
21222-480: The success of the single, On Fire , the album debuted atop the Billboard 200 and achieved platinum status in America. On September 23, 2003, Interscope/Flip Records released Limp Bizkit's fourth album Results May Vary , selling 325,000 copies in the first week. Debuting at No. 3 on Billboard 200, ending Limp's number 1 streak from their previous releases. It would go on to be certified Gold in 2003 and later Platinum in 2008. Ending Limp Bizkit's commercial peak,
21384-400: The term sublabel to refer to either an imprint or a subordinate label company (such as those within a group). For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, 4th & B'way Records (pronounced as "Broadway") was a trademarked brand owned by Island Records Ltd. in the UK and by a subordinate branch, Island Records, Inc., in the United States. The center label on a 4th & Broadway record marketed in
21546-465: The trio an irresistible offer that gave them complete creative control over the recording and packaging of their music. The mid-1960s British Invasion led Atlantic to change its British distributor. Decca had refused access to its British acts, who usually appeared in the US on the London subsidiary. In 1966, Atlantic signed a licensing deal with Polydor which included the band Cream , whose debut album
21708-433: The way they work with artists. New types of deals called "multiple rights" or "360" deals are being made with artists, where labels are given rights and percentages to artist's touring, merchandising, and endorsements . In exchange for these rights, labels usually give higher advance payments to artists, have more patience with artist development, and pay higher percentages of CD sales. These 360 deals are most effective when
21870-441: Was This Is My Beloved (March 1949), a 10" album of poetry by Walter Benton that was narrated by John Dall with music by Vernon Duke . In 1951, Atlantic was one of the first independent labels to press records in the 45rpm single format. By 1956 the 45 had surpassed the 78 in sales for singles. In April of that year, Miriam (Abramson) Bienstock reported to Billboard that Atlantic was selling 75% of its singles as 45s. During
22032-403: Was a fan of Burke's and had long wanted to sign him so when Burke told Wexler his contract with his former label had expired Wexler replied: "You're home. I'm signing you today". The first song Wexler produced with Burke was "Just Out of Reach", which became a big hit in September 1961. The soul/country & western crossover predated Ray Charles' similar venture by more than 6 months. Burke became
22194-431: Was able to maintain autonomy through the parent company reorganizations and continue to do their own marketing, while WEA handled distribution. Some acts on the Atlantic roster in this period were British (including Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Yes, Bad Company and Phil Collins) and this was largely due to Ertegun. According to Greenberg, Ertegun had long seen the UK as a source of untapped talent. At his urging, Greenberg visited
22356-432: Was also alienated from the "rockoid" white acts that were quickly becoming the label's most profitable commodities and dispirited by the rapidly waning fortunes of the black acts he had championed, such as Ben E. King and Solomon Burke. Wexler ultimately decided to leave New York and move to Florida. Following his departure, Ertegun—who had previously taken little interest in Atlantic's business affairs—took decisive control of
22518-401: Was also in charge of LP production. He was credited with improving the production, packaging, and originality of Atlantic's LPs. He deleted the old '100' and '400' series of 10" albums and the earlier 12" albums in Atlantic's catalog, starting the '1200' series, which sold for $ 4.98, with Shorty Rogers' The Swingin' Mr Rogers . In 1956 he started the '8000' popular series (selling for $ 3.98) for
22680-809: Was also responsible for launching the career of Luther Vandross , who recorded for the label as part of the trio Luther. Cotillion also released the triple-albums soundtrack of the Woodstock festival film in 1970. From 1970 it also distributed Embryo Records , founded by jazz flautist Herbie Mann after his earlier Atlantic contract had expired. In addition to establishing Cotillion, Atlantic began expanding its own roster to include rock, soul/rock, progressive rock, British bands and singer songwriters. Two female artists were personally signed by Wexler, with album releases in 1969, Dusty Springfield ( Dusty in Memphis ) and Lotti Golden ( Motor-Cycle ), although Golden also had
22842-456: Was also used as a label for distributing the company's artists outside North America. In January 1970, Ahmet Ertegun was successful in his executive battle against Warner Bros. Records President Mike Maitland to keep Atlantic Records autonomous and as a result, Maitland was fired by Kinney president Steve Ross . Ertegun recommended Mo Ostin to succeed Maitland as Warner Bros. Records president. With Ertegun's power at Warners now secure, Atlantic
23004-536: Was appointed vice-president and purchased 13% of the company's stock. Wexler and Ertegun formed a close partnership which, in collaboration with Tom Dowd, produced thirty R&B hits. Wexler's success for Atlantic was the result of going outside jazz to sign acts who combined jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues, such as Ray Charles, Joe Turner, and Aretha Franklin. Ertegun and Wexler realized many R&B recordings by black musicians were being covered by white performers, often with greater chart success. LaVern Baker had
23166-455: Was developed with major label backing, announced an end to their major label contracts, citing that the uncooperative nature of the recording industry with these new trends is hurting musicians, fans and the industry as a whole. However, Nine Inch Nails later returned to working with a major label, admitting that they needed the international marketing and promotional reach that a major label can provide. Radiohead also cited similar motives with
23328-399: Was established in 1955 to keep Abramson involved. After a slow start, Atco had considerable success with Bobby Darin . His early releases were unsuccessful, and Abramson planned to drop him. But when Ertegun offered him another chance, the result was " Splish Splash ", which Darin had written in 12 minutes. The song sold 100,000 copies in the first month and became a million-seller. " Queen of
23490-454: Was founded as a joint venture with Atlantic Records . In a 1997 article in Rolling Stone , David Wild wrote: "Interscope's start-up coincided with a period of incredible change in the music world. Nirvana had ushered in the alternative revolution... While the major labels were packed with rosters full of expensive veteran artists who had to redefine themselves for a new rock era, Interscope
23652-429: Was impressed by the cooperative atmosphere at the Stax studios and by its racially integrated house band, which he called "an unthinkably great band". He brought Atlantic musicians to Memphis to record. Stewart and Wexler hired Al Bell , a disk jockey at a radio station in Washington D.C., to take over promotion of Stax releases. Bell was the first African-American partner in the label. An after-hours jam by members of
23814-540: Was in the business of signing new artists and could – as Iovine puts it – 'move on a dime.'" Based in Los Angeles , California in the Westwood neighborhood at an office building on 10900 Wilshire Boulevard , Interscope was run by "music men". It was a departure from the music industry practices of the 1970s and 1980s, when labels traditionally appointed lawyers and promotion executives to senior positions. A founding tenet of
23976-400: Was incorporated in October 1947 and was run by Abramson (president) and Ertegun (vice-president in charge of A&R, production, and promotion). Abramson's wife Miriam ran the label's publishing company, Progressive Music, and did most office duties until 1949 when Atlantic hired its first employee, bookkeeper Francine Wakschal, who remained with the label for the next 49 years. Miriam gained
24138-443: Was initiated by McClain, who met Dre when he was recording his solo debut, The Chronic . Original plans had called for the album to be released through Sony, but Sony passed on The Chronic due to "the crazy things going on around Death Row" and the contractual status of Dr. Dre. After hearing the album, Iovine agreed to put it out, although doing so required a complicated distribution agreement with Priority Records , Dre's label as
24300-430: Was later deleted. On the following day, the option to purchase the album was removed from iTunes. The album debuted at number one when it was officially released. In January 2023, a sex abuse lawsuit was filed alleging that Interscope and its now defunct subsidiary Nothing Records knew about sex abuse committed by Marilyn Manson against a girl in the 1990s when he was signed with Nothing Records. In September 2011, it
24462-536: Was merged into Interscope Geffen A&M. The DreamWorks A&R staff was retained, and the label's artists were divided between Geffen and Interscope. Among others, Interscope inherited Blink-182 , The All-American Rejects , and Nelly Furtado . In March 2005, Interscope launched Cherrytree Records with Martin Kierszenbaum , its head of international operations. Kierszenbaum, also a producer and A&R executive, focused initially on developing artists from outside
24624-454: Was not until around 1958 that the single stylus microgroove system (in which the two stereo channels were cut into either side of a single groove) became the industry standard. By the late 1950s stereo LPs and turntables were being introduced. Atlantic's early stereo recordings included "Lover's Question" by Clyde McPhatter, " What Am I Living For " by Chuck Willis , "I Cried a Tear" by LaVern Baker, "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin, "Yakety Yak" by
24786-530: Was proposed that Leiber and Stoller buy Sabit's shares. Leiber, Stoller, Goldner, and Wexler suggested their plan to Ertegun at a lunch meeting at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Leiber and Stoller told Ertegun they had no intention of buying him out, but Ertegun was aggravated by Goldner's attitude and was convinced Wexler was conspiring with them. Wexler told Ertegun if he refused, the deal would be done without him. But
24948-469: Was released by Atco in 1966. In 1967, the group traveled to Atlantic's studio in New York City to record Disraeli Gears with Tom Dowd; it became a Top 5 LP in both the US and the UK, with the single " Sunshine of Your Love " reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wexler dismissed developments in pop music, dubbing the musicians "the rockoids". However, Atlantic profited from moving into rock music in
25110-466: Was released in August 2008; it was re-released with eight new songs as The Fame Monster in November 2009. Interscope held the top four positions on the 2009 year-end Hot 100 charts with The Black Eyed Peas' " Boom Boom Pow " (number one) and " I Gotta Feeling " (number four); Lady Gaga's " Poker Face " charted at number two and " Just Dance " was at number three. In June 2010 Eminem's Recovery entered
25272-632: Was reported by federal prosecutors that the Interscope Geffen A&;M Records building was used by a drug-trafficking ring as a transport center. The Drug Enforcement Administration inspected the year-long case and stated that the Los Angeles offices of Interscope Records were used for pickups and deliveries of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in 2010 and 2011. Rock-It Cargo, a shipping company which has an immense list of musical clients, shipped music cases that allegedly contained drugs to New York City studios. Interscope Geffen A&M responded to
25434-454: Was reported that the South African hip hop/rave group Die Antwoord was leaving Interscope Records over a dispute with the label wanting their second studio album Tension to be re-worked for "mainstream appeal". Problems with Interscope first arose when the group decided the lead single for their second album would be "Fok julle naaiers" (loosely translated to "Fuck you fuckers"). Tension
25596-465: Was shot to death in April by a suspect who allegedly was listening to the album on the tape deck of a stolen truck when he was stopped by the officer. The trooper's family filed a civil suit against Shakur and Interscope, claiming the record's violence-laden lyrics incite "imminent lawless action". Earlier in 1992, Interscope negotiated a $ 10-million deal with Dr. Dre and Marion "Suge" Knight to finance and distribute their label, Death Row Records . It
25758-418: Was sold to Warner Bros.-Seven Arts for US$ 17.5 million, although all the partners later agreed that it was a poor deal that greatly undervalued Atlantic's true worth. Initially, Atlantic and Atco operated entirely separately from the group's other labels, Warner Bros. Records and Reprise Records , and management did not interfere with the music division, since the ailing movie division was losing money, while
25920-509: Was the first in America to install multitrack recording machines, developed by the Ampex company. Bobby Darin's "Splish, Splash" was the first song to be recorded on an 8-track recorder. It was not until the mid-1960s that multitrack recorders became the norm in English studios and EMI's Abbey Road Studios did not install 8-track facilities until 1968. Atlantic entered the LP market early: its first
26082-410: Was the first label to issue commercial LPs recorded in the experimental stereo system called binaural recording . In this system, recordings were made using two microphones, spaced at approximately the distance between the human ears, and the left and right channels were recorded as two separate, parallel grooves. Playing them back required a turntable with a special tone-arm fitted with dual needles; it
26244-501: Was ultimately released through Zef Recordz in early 2012. On March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar 's album, To Pimp a Butterfly , was released on iTunes , Spotify and Google Play eight days ahead of its scheduled release date (March 23). The CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment , Anthony Tiffith , blamed Interscope for the album's unintentional release, and tweeted: "I would personally like to thank Interscope for fucking up our release. Somebody has got to pay for this mistake. #TOP!" The tweet
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