Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwide success over time, with the success of platinum performers Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Phil Collins, OMD, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, the Sex Pistols, and Mike Oldfield among others, meaning that by the time it was sold, it was regarded as a major label, alongside other large international independents such as A&M and Island Records.
EMI Group Limited was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its acquisition by Universal Music in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Five" record companies. Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records, which are now referenced under Universal Music due to their acquisition with the exception of Parlophone, as it is now owned by Warner Music.
The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music.
Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982. Their style fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies. The band was led by the frontman Pertti Neumann. For a few years at its peak, Dingo was one of the most popular Finnish rock bands and caused a phenomenon called "Dingomania" all over Finland.
Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhood of Man (1975–1979). The label changed its name to PRT Records in 1980, before being briefly reactivated as Pye Records in 2006.
Finnish rock refers to rock music made in Finland. The initial rock and roll boom of the 1950s was preceded by a long tradition of popular culture. Suomirock may refer to Finnish rock music in general or more narrowly rock music sung in the Finnish language.
Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. It was known for showcasing the Philadelphia soul music genre that was founded on the gospel, doo-wop and soul music of the time. This sound later marked a prominent and distinct era within the R&B genre. During the 1970s, the label released a string of worldwide hits that emphasized lavish orchestral instrumentation, heavy bass and driving percussion.
Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular rock bands in Finland. The band formed in 1976 in Ylöjärvi, a small town near Tampere. The band is the best-selling music artist in Finland, with certified sales of nearly two million records, and it has also gained success especially in the use of the Finnish language in rock lyrics. In addition to their studio albums, Eppu Normaali also released live records, DVDs, and over 20 singles.
Popeda is a Finnish rock band hailing from Tampere and one of the staples of Manserock. It was founded in November 1977 by Pauli "Pate" Mustajärvi and Ilari "Ilpo" Ainiala, who were joined by Arwo Mikkonen, Matti Palmunen and Ari Puukka. Mustajärvi, the last original member, left the band in 2023. Following Mustajärvi's departure, the band consists of Costello Hautamäki, Alex Hautamäki, Lacu Lahtinen and Pate Kivinen.
Advanced Art was one of the pioneers of Finnish electronic music founded in 1985 by Pasi Janhunen, Petri Huttunen, and Petja Valasvaara in Tampere, Finland. The band themselves opened their shows claiming "we play pop", but others described their music as synthpop, EBM and electro-industrial. Advanced Art were one of the very few Finnish bands at the time to appear on MTV Europe. The band never toured extensively but concentrated on one-off performances, sometimes in unusual locations.
Pauli Antero "Pate" Mustajärvi is a Finnish rock singer. He is known as the vocalist, frontman and only original member of Popeda as well as a solo artist. In his birthplace of Tampere he is known as "Ikurin turbiini" ."
Aknepop is Eppu Normaali's first album released in May 1978. It was recorded 13–15 March 1978. Pertti Ström is a secret name of Epe Helenius. He used the name to write to Finnish music magazine Soundi.
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Tampere. Founded in 1930, and maintained by the municipality of Tampere since 1947, the orchestra is currently based in the Tampere Hall. The orchestra collaborates with the Tampere Opera and Tampere Ballet and regularly participates in the Tampere Biennale music festival.
Petri Jukka Mikael Laurila, better known by his stage name Petri Nygård, is a Finnish rapper. He is also known under alias Dream and as Travis Bicle.
Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland ry, or Musiikkituottajat for short, IFPI Finland in English, is the umbrella organization of recording producers active in Finland, with 23 record labels as its members.
Snow White's Poison Bite was a Finnish rock band, formed in Joensuu in 2006.
The Saimaa Gesture is a 1981 film by Finnish directors Aki and Mika Kaurismäki. It is a documentary about three Finnish rock groups aboard the steamboat SS Heinävesi on their tour around Lake Saimaa.
An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented by trade associations in their country or region, which in turn are represented by the international trade body, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN).
Åkerlundinkatu is a street in the Tulli district of central Tampere, Finland, running east to west with a total length of about 25 metres. Its eastern end is located in front of the Tampere Hall at the intersection with Yliopistonkatu, while the western end is located next to the old locomotive stables at the intersection with Ratapihankatu. Other intersecting streets include Pinninkatu, Hammareninkatu and Sumeliuksenkatu.
