TARA PILKINGTON A2 MEDIA BLOG

 

Existing Music Labels:

 

What is a record label?

A record label is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. 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, conducts talent scouting and development of new artists and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the centre of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information.

 

Universal Music Group:

Universal Music Group (UMG Recordings, Inc.) (UMG) is the largest music corporation in the world. An American-based, French-owned multinational music corporation, it currently operates as a subsidiary of Paris-based media conglomerate Vivendi. UMG also owns Universal Music Publishing Group, which is the second largest music publishing company in the world. Universal Music Group's global corporate headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California.

 

Sony Music Entertainment:

Sony Music Entertainment (sometimes known plainly as Sony Music or by the initialism SME) is an American music corporation owned and operated by Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corporation. In 1929, the enterprise was first founded as American Record Corporation (ARC) and, in 1938, was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, following ARC's acquisition by CBS. In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. In 1987, SCA bought the company and, in 1991, renamed it SME. It is the world's second largest music company.

 

Warner Music Group:

Warner Music Group (WMG), also known as Warner Music, is an American major global record company headquartered in New York City. The largest American-owned music conglomerate worldwide, it is one of the 'big three' recording companies (the third largest in the global music industry). The company operates some of the largest and most successful recording labels in the world, including its flagship labels Warner Bros. Records, Parlophone Records and Atlantic Records. WMG also owns Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's largest music-publishing companies.

 

EMI:

EMI Group Limited, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, was a British multinational music recording and publishing company, and electronics device and systems manufacturing company, headquartered in London, England. At the time of its break-up in 2012 it was the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and was one of the big four record companies (now the big three). Its record labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records. EMI Group also had a major publishing arm, EMI Music Publishing—also based in London with offices globally.

 

Music Group:

Record labels are often under the control of a corporate umbrella organization called a "music group". A music group is typically owned by 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. As of 2007, the "big four" music groups control about 70% of the world music market, and about 80% of the United States music market.[3][4] Record companies (manufacturers, distributors, and labels) may also comprise 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.

 

Independent label:

Record companies 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.

 

Sub label:

A secondary label associated with the main label. These can be entered as a 'Label', and if the parent label is mentioned on the release, this can also be entered on the submission. Music collectors often use the term sublabel to refer to either an imprint or a subordinate label company (such as those within a group).

 

Vanity label:

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 his or her work. An example of such a label is the Neutron label owned by ABC while at Phonogram Records in 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).

 

Net label:

A net label is a record label that distributes its music through digital audio formats over the Internet. While similar to traditional record labels in many respects, net labels typically emphasise free distribution online, often under licenses that encourage works to be shared (e.g., Creative Commons licenses), and artists often retain copyright.

Net labels may have a considerably lower staff count than traditional record labels, in some instances being only a single individual in control of his/her music, maintaining sole ownership. Physical LPs, for example, are rarely produced by a net label, relying entirely on digital distribution and means of the Internet to provide the product. Having no physical product makes the running costs of a net label considerably less than a traditional record label and some net labels have abandoned any financial model altogether and instead, running the net label as a hobby.