In the UK there are four major music labels which are:
Some of the many artists that the label manages are:
The major company owns many smaller companies, for example;
- Blue Note Label Group
Some of the artists signed to Blue Note Label Group are:
- Britpop
- Green Day
- Joy Division
- Glenn Miller
- New York Dolls
- Capitol Music Group
Some of the artists signed to Capitol Music Group:
- Royal Bliss
- Katy Perry
- Morrissey
- Neil Diamond
- Faith Evans
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment UK is part os the largest music and entertainment companies in the world. It has a broad array of local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalogue compromising of some of the most important recordings in history.
- The Ting Tings
- - The Clash - MGMT
- - Ke$ha
- This major company owns many smaller companies, for example;
- Epic Records: - Some of the artists signed to Epic Records are:
- Avril Lavigne
- Michael Jackson
- Nicole Scherzinger
- Paloma Faith
- Ozzy Osbourne
Some of the artists signed to Provident Music Group are:
- Moriah Peters
- Michael W.Smith
- Brandon Heath
- Matt Maher
- Royal Tailor
Some of the many artists that the label manages are:
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Gnarls Barkley
- Basshunter
- Fleetwood Mac
- Enter Shikari
This major company owns many smaller companies for example:
- Warner Bros. Records
- Warner Bros. Records
Some of the artists signed to Warner Bros. Records are:
- Cher
- Clint Eastwood
- Nelly Furtado
- Faith Hill
- Goo Goo Doll
- Warner Classics
Some of the artists signed to Warner Classics are:
David Adams
- Brian Adams
- Kim Begley
- Janet Williams
- Ruth Welting
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations.
Some of the many artists that the label manages are:
- Lady Gaga
- Gwen Stephani
- Keri Hilson
- Young Jeezy
- Mariah Carey
This major company owns many smaller companies for example:
- Capitol Records
Some of the artists signed to Capitol Records are:
- Polydor Records
Some of the artists signed to Polydor Records are:
- Capitol Records
Some of the artists signed to Capitol Records are:
- 5 seconds of summer
- 50 Cent
- The Beach Boys
- Sara Bareilles
- Nat "King" Cole
- Polydor Records
Some of the artists signed to Polydor Records are:
- 2Pac
- ABBA
- Daniel Bedingfield
- Boyzone
- Carly Rae Jepson
Independents mean that music labels that operate one or a few music labels.
Independent as offering more 'organic' music rather than manufactured mainstream although some people may disagree.
Independent UK record labels:
- Clay Records
Clay Records was an independent record label founded by Mike Stone (Not Mike "Clay" Stone) in 1980 out of a record shop in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent.
Nowadays Clay Records is an independent label and studio in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Artists signed to this record:
-White door
-Discharge
-Demon
- Dreamboat Records
Dreamboat Records is a British Independent record label based in Bristol, England. The label was founded in in 2005, and released records on a small scale for a group of local artists. In 2009 it expanded to include releases of independent film soundtracks. The first film the label worked on was "How To Be" which starred Robert Pattinson, followed by the soundtrack written by John Parish for the film "She, A Chinese". In 2009, they became the label for "This Is The Kit" and, in 2010, the UK label for "Bear in Heaven."
Artists signed to this record:
-Whalebone Polly
-Bear in Heaven
-Robin Allender
- Erased Tapes Records
The record company was established by German-born Robert Raths in early 2007 in London, with the release of Ryan Lee West's Vemeer EP under the Aparatec moniker. Raths defines his main interest as 'a dialogue between two opposite poles, between traditional and contemporary, between digital and analogue'. The label is known for its strong sonic and visual aesthetic with a special focus on packaging and design, which has seen collaborations with Berlin based graphic design studio FELD and American contemporary artist Gregory Euclide. Erased Tapes has a tradition of releasing a free compilation annually and continues to gain a reputation for unpredictable releases. The label is managed by Raths with assistance from Sofia Ilyas.
Artists signed to this record:
-Michael Price
-Douglas Dare
-Codes in the Clouds
- Jungle Records
Jungle Records is a British-based independent record label formed in 1982, specializing in classic punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternate releases.
From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were 'unofficial' members of the Cartel. They held the exclusive right to sell all indie product to the Our Price Records chain, including supplying them hits by Depeche Mode, New Order and The Smiths during that high growth period of independent music.
They recorded albums by Johnny Thunders such as 'Copy Cats' (with Patti Palladin) and 'Que Sera Sera' and are licensors of the classic Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakerstape library, including their seminal L.A.M.F. album.
They discovered and released the irst recordings by Mercury Rev: 'Yerselg Is Steam' and 'Car Wash Hair'. and also the first recordings by Fields of the Nephilim, 'Burning The Fields'.
Artists signed to this record:
-Geraint Watkins
-NFD
-The Waldos
- Neat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The label was sold in 1995 by its then owner, the former Tygers of Pan Tang vocalist Jess Cox, to Sanctuary Records.
Artists signed to this record:
-Artillery
-Cloven Hoof
-Jaguar
From a music point of view I find that is is unfair that the four main companies dominate the music industry because there are bands and artists which may not appeal to the particular tastes of the larger companies and therefore go towards the smaller industries who will take on those with the same genre and know that they will accept what they are and therefore can appeal to a larger audience.
This has a large affect on the music industry because a certain genre is accepted by the larger companies and would be targeted at a larger audience whereas the smaller genres would be more inclined to go to smaller companies. The audience are being forced in a way to listen to the genre of music that is attractive to the particular tastes of the music industry, not to the audience.
You can judge whether the independent labels are successful depending on the artists that are signed to them, some of the artists I have personally never heard of but some of the audience who like the genre may have heard of them before and may even be fans of them.
The independent labels offer the chance for artists and bands of a different genre to be signed to a label and to have the chance of becoming famous. Larger industries only accept those who have the talent and the look and whether they will bring in the money and make the company successful.
refer to artists as examples.
This post demonstrates a basic understanding of what the purpose of record labels are and the music industry. You have defined the role of the major and independent record labels well and have also referred your points to a number of artists to support the points that you have made.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the summary points that you have included are too basic and this is because you have generalised your points, instead of writing a full answer. Therefore you need to elaborate on your points by referring to artists as examples, to demonstrate further understanding.