A record label, or record company, or simply records, 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, and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information.
Hüsker Dü was an American punk rock band formed in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardcore punk band, and later crossed over into alternative rock. Mould and Hart were the band's principal songwriters, with Hart's higher-pitched vocals and Mould's baritone taking the lead in alternating songs.
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently focuses on dance and electronic music under the direction of Brett Alperowitz.
Lava Records is an American record label owned by Jason Flom, in partnership with Universal Music Group.
Joshua Bishop Kelley Sr. is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top ten on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.
Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an imprint of the Universal/Motown Records Group, and was renamed Universal Republic Records after a reorganization in 2006 before going back to its original name in 2012.
Sara Elena Ramírez is an American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School.
Holly Brook Hafermann, known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer and songwriter from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract with Machine Shop Recordings under the name Holly Brook. In 2006, she released her debut studio album, Like Blood Like Honey, under the aforementioned labels.
Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and became a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith. The company concentrates on publishing, management, and merchandising and oversees imprints, such as Valory Music, that are part of the Big Machine Label Group. The purchase of Big Machine Records by Scooter Braun's company, Ithaca Holdings, in 2019 resulted in a highly publicized dispute and controversy with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift regarding the ownership of the masters to her albums for the label. In August 2023, it was reported that some artists terminated their respective management contracts with Ithaca in protest.
Vega4 was a four-piece alternative rock band formed in London consisted of Johnny McDaid, Bruce Gainsford (guitar), Gavin Fox (bassist) and Bryan McLellan (drummer).
Tyrone Wells is an American singer-songwriter from Spokane, Washington. He is the lead vocalist of the duo, Oh the Larceny, with Dustin Burnett as the producer. He is also the lead vocalist for the bands WAR*HALL and Royal Deluxe.
Greg Laswell is an American musician, recording engineer, and record producer from San Diego, California. He attended Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, California. He has released 7 studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, Take a Bow in 2010, Landline in 2012, I Was Going to be an Astronaut in 2014, Everyone Thinks I Dodged A Bullet in 2016, and Next Time in 2018, as well as several EPs and special singles. Many of his songs have been featured in films and television shows.
Alexandra Patsavas is Grammy and Emmy nominated American music supervisor, producer, & executive who has worked on over 100 films and television series, most notably The Twilight Saga, The O.C., Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Bridgerton, and CODA.
Joe Brooks is an English singer and songwriter. Brooks started out as a Myspace musician when he was just 17 and quickly gained popularity on the site while releasing two independent EPs. By 2008 he was hyped and labelled as the "Number 1 Unsigned UK Artist" on MySpace and had amassed 11 million song plays. In 2009 he signed to Jason Flom's Lava Records and Universal Republic Records, where he released his first full-length and major label album, Constellation Me, in 2010. Following his exit from Lava/Universal in 2011, he released a fan-funded independent EP, A Reason to Swim, later that year.
Jaron David Lowenstein is an American singer who formerly recorded with his identical twin brother, Evan, in the musical duo Evan and Jaron. As Jaron and the Long Road to Love, he released his debut single, "Pray for You" to country radio in November 2009. This song reached the top 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and is included on the album Getting Dressed in the Dark. The second single, "That's Beautiful to Me", was released in September 2010.
Devin Star Tailes, known professionally as Dev, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, model and radio host. She was discovered by the Cataracs and record label Indie-Pop via Myspace after Dev's friend posted a video of her singing. Dev's song "Booty Bounce" was sampled in Far East Movement's hit single "Like a G6", which reached number one in the US and sold over four million downloads in the country.
A Reason to Swim is the third EP of singer/songwriter Joe Brooks and is his first independent release following his departure from Lava Records/Universal Republic Records. It was released through Fantastic Music LLC in the US on September 6, 2011.
Girls Names was a band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 2009 by Cathal Cully and Neil Brogan. Before they disbanded in 2019, the released four albums—Dead To Me, The New Life, Arms Around a Vision, and Stains on Silence—as well as several EPs, singles, and split singles.
Secrets is an American metalcore/post-hardcore band formed in San Diego, California in 2010. After being signed to Rise Records in 2011, Secrets released their debut full-length album The Ascent in January 2012. The record debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and became the first Velocity Records release to appear on the Billboard Top 200, debuting at No. 185.
Heavy Glow was a modern American rock band originally from San Diego, California. Formed by vocalist and guitarist Jared Mullins, the band released two albums, two EP's, one single, and three music videos.
