EMI Records

EMI Records Ltd, was a British record label. It was founded by the EMI company in 1972 as its flagship label and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia and Parlophone labels. The EMI label was launched worldwide.

History

An E.M.I. Records Ltd. legal entity was created in 1957 as the record manufacturing and distribution arm of EMI in the UK. It oversaw EMI's various labels companies including The Gramophone Co. Ltd., Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd. and Parlophone Record Co. Ltd. The global success that EMI enjoyed in the 1960s exposed the fact that the company had the rights to only some of its trademarks in some parts of the world, most notably His Master's Voice and Columbia, with RCA Victor Records and the American Columbia Records owning the rights to these trademarks in North America. Complicating matters was the formation by American Columbia of its own operations in the UK by purchasing Oriole Records and changing its name to that of its then parent company CBS (the legal trademark designation bearing the full name of the parent company, "Trade Mark of Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc."), and as CBS Records International becoming highly successful, a serious rival to EMI, in the UK.

Virgin EMI Records

Virgin EMI Records is a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013.

History

Virgin EMI Records was founded in March 2013 through the merger of Mercury Records UK and Virgin Records. It operates two distinct A&R and marketing streams—Virgin and EMI Records. Virgin EMI became one of Universal Music UK's front-line labels, alongside Polydor Records, Island Records, Decca Records, and a newly established Capitol Records UK. Mercury Records UK, which traditionally released International Island and Def Jam artists in the UK will now operate as an imprint under Virgin EMI along with Universal Island, which also released Republic Records artists in that country The new label will replace Mercury and Virgin as the releasing label in the UK, for Def Jam and Island US's international roster as well as Virgin Records America artists.

Artists

Virgin EMI's artists include The Strypes, Slaves, The Libertines, Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Jake Bugg, Lethal Bizzle, Pixie Lott, Chase & Status, deadmau5, Iggy Azalea, Elton John, Kevin McHale, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Emeli Sande, Paul McCartney, U2, Bon Jovi, The Vamps, Cage the Elephant, Willie Nelson, Vic Mensa, Massive Attack, Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Krept and Konan, Duke Dumont and Kanye West. Furthermore, Mike Oldfield, whose Tubular Bells album launched the original Virgin Records, is also a Virgin EMI artist.