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Analekta

ANALEKTA is a Greek word which can be translated as "a collection of the finest works". Since the inception of the company in 1988, founder and President Francois Mario Labb? and his team of dedicated people have worked diligently to represent its corporate name.

ANALEKTA has become the largest independent classical record company in Canada. Being the recipient of many distinguished prizes, notably for the quality of its recordings and the rigorous musicianship of its artists, ANALEKTA has earned a reputation of excellence on the international music scene. The company is now considered a benchmark within the Canadian music industry and a true gem of Canadian culture.

The Quebec recording company specializing in classical music, ANALEKTA was founded with the goal of becoming one of Canada's leading record labels. The driving force behind the label has always been its musicians, exceptional artists who would become ANALEKTA's guarantee of excellence. Over the years, the label has therefore developed an association with the country's finest musicians and musical organizations. ANALEKTA's recordings equal fine interpretations, originality and excellence.

Each year, ANALEKTA releases no less than 30 classical recordings featuring the greatest Canadian musicians. Over the years, ANALEKTA has produced over 400 titles with more than 200 artists. The level of excellence of its artists, combined with the determination of its management and its entire team have created an enviable reputation and a first-rate image for the company, both at home and abroad.

Though its focus remains classical music, ANALEKTA continues to seek new talent and promote Canadian musicians. Embracing a new array of genres to widen its musical horizons, ANALEKTA's catalogue now includes World Music, jazz and movie soundtracks, making music accessible to music aficionados with eclectic taste.

ANALEKTA's 'selection of the finest works' featuring the finest Canadian musicians continues to flourish. More than ever, ANALEKTA's name is synonymous with excellence.

artistShare

What is ArtistShare?: ArtistShare is a platform that connects creative artists with fans in order to share the creative process and fund the creation of new artistic works.  ArtistShare created the Internet's first fan funding platform for artists launching its initial project in October, 2003.  Since then, ArtistShare has been allowing fans to show appreciation for their favorite artists by funding their projects in exchange for access to the creative process, LTD Edition recordings, VIP access to events/recording sessions and even credit listing on the final product. Unlike other companies we build the model around the artist while providing the best fan support in the industry.  ArtistShare projects have received countless awards and accolades including 6 Grammy awards and 18 Grammy nominations.  Our artist roster includes some of today's most prestigious artists including Pulitzer prize and Oscar nominated writers, Guggenheim fellowship recipients, Grammy winners and NEA Jazz Masters.  Preview a live ArtistShare fan-funded project here and see how the fans are making it happen.  View some screenshots from the first fan-funded project (circa 2003!) here. 

ArtistShare and the music industry:
The explosion of digital downloading has shaken the roots of the music industry as we've known it – the concept of creating music for sale has become a tenuous prospect, as record labels and artists continue to lose profits due to "illegal" file sharing. A variety of solutions have cropped up to prevent music from being devalued – from digital rights management to completely new pricing models. ArtistShare, however, is not looking to fight these emerging technologies; rather, we work with this new platform to the benefit the artist.  The ArtistShare model was initially inspired and created in response the threat of digital piracy and the futility of digital rights management for music.

At ArtistShare, we believe that the true value of music lies in the artist's individual creativity and the unique process each artist uses to create their music. Since its inception, ArtistShare has been redefining the music industry by allowing fans to finance artist projects in exchange for access to the artist's creative process. By reaching out directly to the consumer and focusing on the innate value of music, ArtistShare has created a model that is immune to changes in the industry. 

By shifting the focus of value to the "creative process", the artist/creator is compensated before the work is release therefore dramatically decreases the chances of losing revenue once the product is released. The company believes that the advent of digital technology is the beginning of a "new economy" where most products are viewed as a "service" rather than a physical item that is owned by the end user.

A key element to any ArtistShare project is that the artist is in no way required to relinquish ownership of copyright and in fact ArtistShare discourages it in most cases.

ArtistShare fan-funded recordings at the Grammy Awards 

47th Annual Grammy Awards– 2005
Winner: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Maria Schneider - Concert In the Garden,
Nominee: Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Maria Schneider "Bulería, Solea y Rumba" -- Donny McCaslin, soloist (track from "Concert in the Garden")
Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition "Bulería, Solea y Rumba" -- Maria Schneider

48th Annual Grammy Awards– 2006
Winner: Best Instrumental Composition "Into The Light" Billy Childs 
Nominee: Best Instrumental Jazz Album "Lyric" 
Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement Billy Childs, arranger
Nominee: Best Comedy Album The Agoraphobic Cowboy, Rick Moranis 

49th Annual Grammy Awards– 2007 
Winner: Best Latin Jazz Album Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri - Simpatico 
Nominee: Best Large jazz Ensemble Album Bob Brookmeyer - Spirit Music 

50th Annual Grammy Awards– 2008
Winner: Best Instrumental Composition Maria Schneider - "Cerulean Skies" 
Nominee: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album - Maria Schneider "Sky Blue" 

52nd Annual Grammy Awards– 2010
Nominee: Best Jazz Instrumental Album - The Clayton Brothers - "Brother to Brother" 
Nominee: Best Latin Jazz Recording - Geoffrey Keezer - "Aurea"

53rd Annual Grammy Awards– 2011
Winner: Best Instrumental composition - The Path Among The Trees -Billy Childs
Nominee: Best Jazz Instrumental Recording, Individual or Group - The Clayton Brothers - "New Song And Dance" 
Nominee: Gerald Clayton Best Instrumental Composition - Battle Circle - The Clayton Brothers - "New Song And Dance" 
Nominee: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording The Path Among The Trees 
Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition - Patrick Williams - Aurora
Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement - "Fanfare For A New Day" - Patrick Williams - Aurora

12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards– 2012
Nominee: Best MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) Album - Yeahwon - Yeahwon
Other nominees in this category were Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Djavan and Mônica Salmaso.

55th Annual Grammy Awards– 2013
Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement - Gil Evans "How About You"
Nominee: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording The Gil Evans Project: Centennial 
Nominee: Best Arrangement Featuring A Vocalist(s)-  Gil Evans "Look to the Rainbow"  - featuring Luciana Souza

ATO Records

According To Our Records (ATO Records) is a record label committed to artists and building their careers. Founded by Dave Matthews, manager Coran Capshaw, and two associates ? Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli   ATO seeks out talented songwriters, musicians and performers for whom there is genuine passion and belief. ATO strives to build career artists. As a truly independent label ATO is steadfast in our commitment to maintaining that focus.

ATO is based in New York and distributes its records through RED. ATO looks for the label to evolve naturally on an artist-by-artist basis. The priority for the label is that there be sufficient time and attention to develop each artist and each release. There is no timeline, but there is a plan to build the label on the quality of the musicians we work with.

According To Our Records (ATO Records) is a record label committed to artists and building their careers. Founded by Dave Matthews, manager Coran Capshaw, and two associates ? Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli ? ATO seeks out talented songwriters, musicians and performers for whom there is genuine passion and belief. ATO strives to build career artists. As a truly independent label ATO is steadfast in our commitment to maintaining that focus.
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ATO is based in New York and distributes its records through RED. ATO looks for the label to evolve naturally on an artist-by-artist basis. The priority for the label is that there be sufficient time and attention to develop each artist and each release. There is no timeline, but there is a plan to build the label on the quality of the musicians we work with.According To Our Records (ATO Records) is a record label committed to artists and building their careers. Founded by Dave Matthews, manager Coran Capshaw, and two associates ? Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli ? ATO seeks out talented songwriters, musicians and performers for whom there is genuine passion and belief. ATO strives to build career artists. As a truly independent label ATO is steadfast in our commitment to maintaining that focus.
?
ATO is based in New York and distributes its records through RED. ATO looks for the label to evolve naturally on an artist-by-artist basis. The priority for the label is that there be sufficient time and attention to develop each artist and each release. There is no timeline, but there is a plan to build the label on the quality of the musicians we work with.

Avie

Avie Records operates a unique business model based on artist ownership. This model is as robust today as when the label launched in 2002, and allows artists a creative freedom not found at any other label. Run by well-known and respected executives with offices in the UK and the US, Avie combines the flexibility of an independent with the prowess of a major. Avie was instantly recognised as a trail-blazer by international media and consumers alike. The label has been hailed as "adventurous" (New York Times), "enterprising (Gramophone)," and "admirable" (The Sunday Times – London).

Avie is noted for the strength and creativity of its marketing and promotion strategies, resulting in notable sales successes, including several international chart-topping releases. For our artists we have gained international visibility in the media and the market place, with a worldwide distribution network that extends to over 30 countries. The label was an early convert to the download arena and is universally available at digital download destinations from iTunes to emusic to Classical Archives.

Avie Records released its first CDs in April 2002, a group of eight that featured such artists as Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert, Lara St. John and The Dufay Collective. Seven years later the catalogue has grown to nearly 200 titles, with a roster featuring such artists as Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Julian Bream, Semyon Bychkov, Andreas Haefliger, Antonio Meneses, Menahem Pressler, Monica Huggett, and Thomas Zehetmair.

Over the years, Gramophone Awards have gone to viol quartet Phantasm for their recording of Gibbons' Consorts, Julian Bream for his absorbing DVD My Life in Music, and Trevor Pinnock for his Brandenburg Concertos with the specially formed European Brandenburg Ensemble. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and The Dufay Collective have received Grammy® Nominations, and the label has collected scores of other international citations.

Avie actively signs and nurtures young, emerging talent and has helped to put several artists on the musical map, including Luiza Borac who won a BBC Music Magazine Award for her survey of Enescu's Piano Works, and Vivaldi specialist Adrian Chandler who has garnered multiple Editor's Choice nods from Gramophone Magazine.

Quality is fundamental to Avie's output, from the music to the performances and production values, through to the end product. With a few decided exceptions, Avie's recordings are sold at a traditional full price, reflecting the value of the purchase.

Barclay Records - Universal

Barclay Records is a French record company and label founded by Eddie Barclay in 1953.

Eddie Barclay was a bandleader, pianist, producer, and nightclub owner. With his wife, Nicole, who was the vocalist in his band, he started Barclay. The catalogue included the work of Stéphane Grappelli, Lionel Hampton, and Rhoda Scott. In 1978 the label was sold to Polygram Records. Jazz issues ceased in 1983.

Barclay's catalogue includes Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Léo Ferré, Henri Salvador, Jacques Brel, Jean Ferrat, Mireille Mathieu, Nino Ferrer, Danielle Licari, Les Chaussettes Noires, Eddy Mitchell, Hugues Aufray, Noir Désir, Mika, the Wild Magnolias, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Modjo, Rachid Taha, Jimi Hendrix, Patrick Juvet and Alain Bashung.

Barclay also had operations outside France, most notably in the U.S. and Canada. Working with well-known composers and arrangers such as Raymond Lefèvre and Michel Colombier, the Canadian outfit carried such artists as Diane Dufresne, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Claude Léveillée, Claude Dubois, Renée Claude, Stéphane Venne, Isabelle Pierre, Paul Baillargeon, Robert Charlebois, and Béatrice Martin (Cœur de pirate).

Barclay Records is currently owned and distributed by Universal Music Group.

Blind Pig Records

We are one of the premier independent American blues and roots music labels in the world.

From our humble beginnings in the basement of an Ann Arbor, Michigan blues club in 1977, Blind Pig Records has grown into one of the premier blues labels in the world. A virtual who's who of blues and roots artists performed on the Blind Pig stage at one time or another - Otis Rush, Koko Taylor, Commander Cody, Asleep At The Wheel, Roosevelt Sykes, Robert Lockwood, Mighty Joe Young, Johnny Shines, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Walter Horton, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, and Hound Dog Taylor, to name a few.

Their incredible performances and the enthusiasm of the audiences led to the notion of recording this memorable music and presenting it to fans beyond the confines of this legendary club. From the very beginning, our belief in the creative abilities of the artists and their need to expand the limits of their art form took precedence over a strict adherence to any narrowly defined musical idiom. As a result, our label's natural progression has been to release albums not only in Blues, but also in the fields of Roots Rock, Zydeco, Rhythm & Blues, and Soul Gospel. This philosophy has earned Blind Pig a reputation for excellence not only through releases by some of the all-time greats, but also through recordings of the new generation of artists who are bringing these uniquely American art forms into the 21st century.

Blue Note

Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. It is principally associated with the "hard bop" style of jazz (mixing bebop with other forms of music including soul, blues, rhythm and blues and gospel). Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith and Art Blakey are the artists most closely linked to the label, but almost all the important musicians in postwar jazz recorded for Blue Note on occasion.

Early years
Lion was a German who first heard jazz as a young boy in Berlin. He moved to New York in 1937, and in 1939 recorded Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis in a one-day session in a rented studio. The Blue Note label initially consisted of Lion and Max Margulis, a writer who funded the project. The label's first releases were traditional "hot" jazz and boogie woogie, and the label's first hit was a performance of "Summertime" by Sidney Bechet. Musicians were supplied with alcoholic refreshments, and recorded in the early hours of the morning after their evening's work in clubs and bars had finished. The label soon became well known for treating musicians well - setting up recording sessions at congenial times, and allowing them to be involved in all aspects of the record's production.

Francis Wolff, a professional photographer, emigrated to the USA at the end of 1939 and soon joined forces with Lion, who he had known as a boy in Germany. In 1941, Lion was drafted into the army for two years. Milt Gabler at the Commodore Music Store offered storage facilities and helped keep the catalog in print, with Wolff working for him. By late 1943 the label was back in business recording musicians and supplying records to the armed forces.

[edit]
Bebop
Towards the end of the war, Ike Quebec was among those who recorded for the label. Quebec would act as a talent scout for the label until his death in 1963. Although belonging to a previous generation, he could appreciate the new bebop style of jazz, largely created by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

In 1947 Thelonious Monk recorded several sessions for the label. These were his first recordings as a leader, and also saw the Blue Note debut of Art Blakey. Monk's recordings for Blue Note between 1947 and 1952 did not sell well, but have since come to be regarded as amongst the most important of the bebop era. Other bebop or modernist musicians who recorded for Blue Note during the late forties and early fifties were Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, Howard McGhee (featuring J.J. Johnson), James Moody and Bud Powell. The sessions by Powell, like those his close friend Monk recorded for the label, are among his best. J.J. Johnson and Miles Davis both recorded several sessions for Blue Note between 1952 and 1954, but by then the musicians who had created bebop were starting to explore other styles.

[edit]
Hard bop and beyond
1951 saw the first vinyl 10" releases by Blue Note, and the label was soon recording new talent such as Horace Silver (who would stay with Blue Note for a quarter of a century), the Jazz Messengers (originally a collaborative group, but soon to become Art Blakey's band), Milt Jackson (in what would soon become the Modern Jazz Quartet), Clifford Brown and Herbie Nichols. Rudy Van Gelder recorded most Blue Note releases from 1953 until the late sixties, and his deft engineering was, in its own way, as important and revolutionary as the music. Another important difference between Blue Note and other independent labels (for example Prestige Records, who also employed Van Gelder) was that musicians were paid for rehearsal time prior to the recording session.

Organist Jimmy Smith was signed in 1956, and was responsible for the first 12" album of original material released by the label. That year also saw the employment of Reid Miles, an artist who worked for Esquire magazine. The cover art produced by Miles, often featuring Wolff's photographs of musicians in the studio, was as influential in the world of graphic design as the music within would be in the world of jazz. A few mid-fifties album covers featured drawings by the then little known Andy Warhol.

The late fifties saw debut recordings for Blue Note by (amongst others) Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham, Kenny Burrell, Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, the return of Bud Powell (by then past his prime), John Coltrane's Blue Train, and Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else (featuring Miles Davis in a rare supporting role). Blue Note was by then recording a mixture of established acts (Rollins, Adderley) and artists who in some cases had recorded before, but often produced performances for the label which by far exceeded earlier recordings in quality (Blue Train is generally considered to be the first significant recording by Coltrane as a leader). Horace Silver and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers continued to release a series of artistically and commercially successful recordings.

The early sixties introduced Dexter Gordon to the label. Gordon was a saxophonist from the bebop era who had spent several years in prison and dealing with drug addiction, and he made several albums over a five year period. Gordon also appeared on the debut album by Herbie Hancock - by the mid sixties, all four of the younger members of the Miles Davis quintet (Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) were recording for the label, and Hancock and Shorter in particular produced a succession of superb albums in a variety of styles. Carter did not actually record under his own name until the label's resurrection in the 1980s, but played bass on many other musicians' sessions. Many of these also included Freddie Hubbard, a trumpeter who also recorded for the label as a leader. One of the features of the label during this period was a "family" of musicians (Hubbard, Hancock, Carter, Grant Green, Joe Henderson, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley and many others) who would record as sidemen on each other's albums without necessarily being part of the leader's working group.

In 1963 Lee Morgan scored a significant hit with "The Sidewinder", and Horace Silver with "Song for My Father" did the same the following year. As a result, Lion was under pressure by independent distributors to come up with similar successes, with the result that many Blue Note albums of this era start with a catchy tune intended for heavy airplay.

[edit]
The avant garde
Although many of the acts on Blue Note were recording commercial jazz for a wide audience, the label also made some attempt to document the emerging avant-garde and free jazz movement. Andrew Hill, a highly individual pianist, made several albums for the label, some with Eric Dolphy. Dolphy's Out to Lunch (featuring a famous cover by Reid Miles) is perhaps his most well-known album. Ornette Coleman released two albums recorded with a trio in a Stockholm club, and three studio albums (including The Empty Foxhole, with his ten-year-old son on drums). Cecil Taylor recorded two albums for Blue Note during the early part of his career, and Sam Rivers, Bobby Hutcherson and Larry Young also recorded albums which diverged from the "hard bop" style usually associated with the label.

[edit]
Lion and Wolff retire
Blue Note was acquired by Liberty Records in 1965 and Lion retired in 1967. At this point most albums were produced by Wolff or pianist Duke Pearson; Wolff died in 1971. Despite some good albums, the commercial viability of jazz was in question. Reid Miles's services were dispensed with and more borderline and outright commercial records were made (often by artists who had previously recorded "straight" jazz for the label - Bobby Hutcherson, Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Horace Silver).

[edit]
Resurrection
When EMI purchased Liberty in 1979, it phased out the Blue Note label until 1985, when it was relaunched as part of EMI Manhattan Records, both for re-issues and new recordings. Some artists previously associated with Blue Note, such as McCoy Tyner have made new recordings, while younger musicians such as Joe Lovano have established notable reputations through their Blue Note albums.

The Blue Note catalogue and trademark are now owned by Capitol Records, who have pursued an active reissue program in recent years. Bruce Lundvall was appointed to oversee the label at the time of the revival and Michael Cuscuna has worked as freelance advisor and reissue producer. Some of Blue Note's output has appeared in CD Box sets issued by Cuscuna's Mosaic Records, and there has been a series of reissues of older material in the "RVG series", remastered by Rudy Van Gelder.

Today's Blue Note has notable names signed to its roster, such as young vocalist Norah Jones and veteran R&B/jazz singer Anita Baker.

BMOP

BMOP is widely recognized as the premiere orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new orchestral music. Since its founding in 1996, BMOP has commissioned new works and re-discovered "classics" of the 20th century, infusing them with the emotion, humor, and urgency that have been hallmarks of the modern era and its music.

Staff
The BMOP staff realizes the orchestra's mission by developing programs, creating partnerships with individuals and organizations that share our interests, advocating for new audiences, and working outside the box to insure BMOP's fiscal health and vitality.

Board
Members of the Board of Trustees, Board of Overseers, and the Advisory Board have a unique energy and a fresh, individual outlook on the arts. Comprised of executives, academicians and entrepreneurs with relevant financial, educational, managerial, and artistic expertise, they are a diverse group of professionals, representing several Boston-based companies, law firms, and non-profit organizations.

Donors
We gratefully acknowledge the individuals, corporations, and foundations whose generous support makes our concerts and recordings possible.

Please note our new contact information:

BMOP
376 Washington Street
Malden, MA 02148
T 781.324.0396
F 781.324.0397

Bridge Records

Bridge Records, Inc. was founded in 1981 by David Starobin, President of?Bridge from 1981-2007.Starobin was soon joined in the company by his wife, Becky Starobin, now?Bridge's President. The Starobins, both musicians, have overseen the steady growth of a highly?regarded catalog which is now distributed widely in the Americas, Europe, Asia and on the internet.?The company has maintained its offices in New Rochelle, NY since 1996.

Writing of his motivation for founding Bridge Records, David Starobin?cited "the need to create a wide-ranging forum for repertoire and performance- a home for the?exceptionally interesting andchallenging personality- performer and composer alike." To that end?Bridge has not only devoted itself to the recording of hundreds of new works, but the label has?commissioned dozens of new compositions, ranging from solo through orchestral. Now in its 31st year?of operation, Bridge maintains its original mission with undiminished enthusiasm.

Bridge's recordings have had considerable critical success, earning 30?Grammy nominations, three Grammy awards, three MIDEM Awards, four ASCAP ?Deems Taylor Awards', as well as hundreds of awards and citations from publications and industry journals, including the New?York Times, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and The Financial Times.

Bridge's catalog spans a wide range of music, but is perhaps best?known for its recordings of 20th and 21st Century classical repertoire.?Composers whose works have received premiere recordings on
Bridge include: Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Poul Ruders, Joaquin?Rodrigo, Stephen Sondheim, Hans Werner Henze, Henri Dutilleux, Toru Takemitsu, Stefan Wolpe,?Paul Lansky,Tod Machover, and Cecil Taylor among many others. Performers include the New York Philharmonic, The Boston Sympgony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Leon Fleisher, Garrick Ohlsson, Peter Serkin, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Bridge Records has also released a substantial amount of historic archival recordings, most notably during an ongoing collaboration with the Library of Congress. Artists include: The Budapest String Quartet, Leontyne Price, George Szell, Nathan Milstein, Zino Francescatti, Samuel Barber, Benny Goodman, and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

Bridge is distributed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom,?Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain,?Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and on the internet through a?variety of sources including?Amazon.com, ArkivMusic.com, iTunes, among others.

Cantaloupe Music

CANTALOUPE MUSIC is the record label created in March 2001 by the three founders of New York's legendary Bang on a Can Festival: composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, and Bang on a Can managing director Kenny Savelson. Cantaloupe Music has made a massive impact in the new music community, and been recognized by critics and fans around the globe for its adventurous sounds.

Our goal is to provide a home for "music that slips between the cracks." In its decade long history, Cantaloupe has repeatedly received "Top 10 of the Year" accolades from publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian (UK), The Wire, the New Yorker, Newsday, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Mojo, the San Jose Mercury News, Gramophone, Billboard, Stereophile, and Time Out NY. Its releases have also been featured on CNN, PitchforkMedia, NPR, PaperThinWalls, BBC, and other major tv/radio/online outlets.

Cantaloupe is proud to announce our recent partnership with global distributor, NAXOS. Naxos is the world's leading classical music label and will distribute the Cantaloupe catalog in physical and digital formats throughout the world. Physical and digital versions of our records are also available from the Bang on a Can Store. Each release has extensive background information on the web -- the composers' own words about their music, news, upcoming performance dates, artist bios, and links.

Through Cantaloupe Music, Bang on a Can continues its mission to spread the gospel of risk-taking new music. Bang on a Can -- dedicated to the work of composers across the entire aesthetic spectrum -- has created a home for musical inventors, misfits, and pioneers. Founded in 1987 by Gordon, Lang and Wolfe, the non-profit has grown from a one-day festival to a multi-faceted organization. Their decision to launch Cantaloupe Music represented the culmination of 15 years of ground-breaking concerts and a decade of successful recording projects on multiple major record labels.

Capitol Records

The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the time the biggest record store in Los Angeles, California). Wallichs Music City record store opened in 1940 and was located in Hollywood on the corner of Sunset and Vine. It was the premier music store in Southern Cal for decades but closed in 1978. Capitol Records opened in a storefront office in the Music City building.

Capitol was the first West Coast label, competing with RCA-Victor, Columbia and Decca, all based in New York. In addition to its Los Angeles recording studio Capitol had a second studio in New York City, and on occasion sent mobile recording equipment to New Orleans, Louisiana and other cities.

The earliest recording artists included Paul Whiteman, Martha Tilton, and Ella Mae Morse. Capitol's first gold single was Morse's "Cow Cow Boogie" in 1942. By 1946, Capitol had sold 42 million records and was established as one of the Big Six record labels. It was also that year that writer/producer Alan W. Livingston created Bozo the Clown for their new children's record library. Some notable music appreciation albums for children by Capitol during that era included Sparky's Magic Piano and Rusty in Orchestraville. The label's 1940s artists included Les Baxter, Bing Crosby, Les Paul, Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton, Les Brown, western swing artist Tex Williams, and Nat King Cole.

Capitol released a few classical albums in the 1940s, some featuring a heavily embossed, leather-like cover. These appeared initially in the 78-rpm format, then on some of Capitol's early LPs (33-1/3 rpm) which first appeared in 1949. Among the recordings was a unique performance of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos' Choros No. 10 with a Los Angeles choral group and the Janssen Symphony Orchestra (1940-1952) conducted by Werner Janssen, Symphony No. 3 by Russian composer Reinhold Moritzovich Gli?re, and Cesar Franck's Symphony in D minor with Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra.

In 1949, the Canadian branch was established and Capitol purchased the KHJ Studios on Melrose Avenue next to the Paramount Pictures Lot in Hollywood. By the mid-1950s, Capitol had become a huge company, concentrating on popular music.


1950s
The 1950s roster now included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, The Andrews Sisters, Jackie Gleason, Ray Anthony, Andy Griffith, Shirley Bassey, The Kingston Trio, Dean Martin, The Four Freshmen, Al Martino, and Nancy Wilson. There were also some notable comedy recordings, including several by Stan Freberg and the Yiddish-dialect parodies of Mickey Katz. The label also began recording rock and roll acts such as The Jodimars and Gene Vincent.

Many children became familiar with Capitol Records through the release of a number of Bozo the Clown albums, which featured 78-rpm discs and full color booklets which the children could follow as they listened to the recorded stories. Although there were a series of Bozo the Clowns on various television stations, Capitol used the voice of Pinto Colvig, who was also the voice for Walt Disney's cartoon character Goofy.

In 1955, the English record company EMI acquired 96% of Capitol Records stock, for $8.5 million. Soon afterward, EMI built a new studio at Hollywood and Vine to match its state-of-the-art Abbey Road Studios in London - see the Capitol Tower below. EMI's classical Angel Records label was merged into Capitol in 1957. Some classical recordings were issued in high fidelity and even stereophonic sound on the Capitol label by William Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski with various orchestra (including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as light classical albums by Carmen Dragon and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and a series of albums of film music conducted by leading Hollywood composers such as Alfred Newman. Eventually, most of the classical recordings were released exclusively on the Angel and Seraphim labels in the U.S. EMI reissued many of the historic Capitol classical recordings on CD.


45rpm Beatles single on Capitol
[edit] 1960s
In the 1960s, Capitol struck a bonanza by obtaining US release rights to the Beatles, who were under contract to EMI in England. (The Beatles' earliest US issues had been on the small Vee-Jay label.) Capitol's producers significantly altered the content of the Beatles albums (see "Record Altering", below.), and, believing the Beatles' recordings were sonically unsuited to the US market, added equalization to brighten the sound, and also piped the recordings through the famous Capitol echo chamber, located underneath the parking lots outside the Capitol Tower.

Capitol also signed or became American distributors of albums by Badfinger, The Band, The Beach Boys, Grand Funk Railroad, If, Sandler and Young, Steve Miller Band, People, Pink Floyd, Linda Ronstadt, The Human Beinz, Peter Tosh, and various solo albums by members of the Beatles.


[edit] 1970s
In the seventies, Capitol launched two alternative labels: EMI America Records and EMI Manhattan Records. New artists included April Wine, Blondie, Burning Spear, Buzzcocks, David Bowie, Kim Carnes, Rosanne Cash, Natalie Cole, Sammy Hagar, Heart, John Hiatt, The Knack, Maze, Bonnie Raitt, The Raspberries, Minnie Riperton, Diana Ross, Bob Seger, The Specials, Ten Wheel Drive, The Stranglers, Tavares, George Thorogood, and Wings. In 1979 Capitol was made part of the EMI Music Worldwide division.


[edit] 1980s
Capitol added artists in a variety of genres during the 1980s: popular music groups and singers like Tina Turner, George Clinton, Crowded House, Duran Duran (and spinoffs Arcadia and Power Station), Glass Tiger, Katrina & The Waves, Grace Jones, Lloyd Cole, Pet Shop Boys, Queen, Roxette, Brian Setzer, The Smithereens, Spandau Ballet, and Paul Westerberg; punk/hard rock groups such as Butthole Surfers, Concrete Blonde, Billy Idol, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; heavy metal bands like Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Queensr?che; rap groups like the Beastie Boys, Mantronix, Eazy-E, N.W.A.; and individuals like Robbie Robertson, jazz artist Dave Koz, and soul singer Freddie Jackson.


[edit] 1990s
Nineties acts include Selena, Blind Melon, Garth Brooks, Meredith Brooks, Coldplay, The Dandy Warhols, Dilated Peoples, Doves, Everclear, Geri Halliwell, Ice Cube, Idlewild, Jane's Addiction, Jimmy Eat World, Ras Kass, Kottonmouth Kings, Ben Lee, Less Than Jake, Luscious Jackson, Tara MacLean, Marcy Playground, Mazzy Star, MC Eiht, MC Hammer, MC Ren, The Moffatts, Moist, Liz Phair, Lisa Marie Presley, Radiohead, Snoop Dogg, Spearhead, Starsailor, Supergrass, T?l?popmusik, Television, Richard Thompson, and Robbie Williams.


[edit] 2000s
In 2001, EMI merged Capitol Records label with the Priority Records label. The combined label manages rap artists including Cee-Lo, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and C-Murder, Lil Romeo, and Lil Zane. Other 2000s artists include J. Holiday, Jiggolo, LeToya (who had the first #1 album for the label since MC Hammer's 1990 Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em), Zay, Red Cafe, Aslyn, Auf Der Maur, Big Moe, Borialis, Chingy, The Decemberists. Dexter Freebish, Ebony Eyez, From First to Last, The F-ups, Faith Evans, Faultline, Fischerspooner, Interpol, Jonny Greenwood, Ed Harcourt, Houston, Van Hunt, Javier, Matthew Jay, Methrone, Kylie Minogue, Dave Navarro, OK Go, Relient K, Roscoe, RBD,Saosin, Squad Five-O, The Star Spangles, Steriogram, Supervision, Skye Sweetnam, The Vines, Yellowcard, Young Bleed,Young Life Don Yute, Cherish, Shout Out Louds, Hurt, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Magic Numbers, Hedley, End of Fashion, Mims and Morningwood.

Capitol is also the home for the labels Hoo-Bangin' Records and The Black Wall Street Records.

In February 2007, EMI announced a merger of Virgin Records and Capitol Records into the Capitol Music Group, as part of this restructuring, hundreds of staff from multiple divisions were laid off and many artists were cut from the roster.[1] With the sale of the Capitol Tower, EMI is planning to close Capitol's operations in Los Angeles and concentrate its work force in New York City.


[edit] Broadway and Films
Capitol Records also released some of the most notable original cast albums and motion picture soundtrack albums ever made. Between 1955 and 1956, they released the soundtrack albums of three now-classic film versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma!, Carousel, and The King and I. The first two of these albums starred Gordon MacRae, who was already under contract to Capitol. The three albums were released only in mono at first, but because all three films had been made with then state-of-the-art stereophonic sound, Capitol was able to release stereo versions of all three soundtracks in 1958. There were important differences, however, between the mono and stereo versions. Because stereo grooves on LPs took up more space at the time than mono grooves, the stereo versions of the soundtracks were always somewhat shorter than the mono versions. This was not much of a problem with Oklahoma!, because the album itself as then printed was relatively short, so all that was missing from the stereo version was a few seconds of the overture. With Carousel, however, half of the Carousel Waltz had to be lopped off from the stereo version, and with The King and I, the instrumental bridge from the song Getting to Know You was completely removed from the stereo version. These soundtrack albums (especially Oklahoma!) were bestsellers for Capitol for many years, until, in the 1990s, the rights to them were bought by Angel Records. Angel Records not only restored the portions which had been omitted from the stereo LP's and original CD issues, but, in 2001, issued new expanded editions which included all music which had been omitted from every previous edition of these soundtracks, bringing the playing time of each to well over an hour. All three albums continue to be best sellers to this day.

In 1957, Capitol Records issued the original cast album of The Music Man, starring Robert Preston, an album which became one of the biggest cast album sellers of all time, even after the highly successful film version of the show was released in 1962. Capitol was also responsible for the original cast and movie soundtrack albums of Cole Porter's Can-Can and the original cast album of Steven Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In 1962, Capitol issued a studio cast recording of the songs from Lionel Bart's Oliver!, in anticipation of its U.S. tour prior to its opening on Broadway.

In 1966, Capitol released the soundtrack album of the documentary tribute, John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums, a film made by the United States Information Agency, and originally not intended for general viewing. However, the quality of the film was considered so high that the public was eventually allowed to see it. The film featured the voice of Gregory Peck as narrator, with narration written and music composed by Bruce Herschensohn. The album was virtually a condensed version of the film - it included the narration as well as the music.

One spoken word album which was immensely successful for Capitol was that of the soundtrack of Franco Zeffirelli's smash film version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which became the highest grossing Shakespeare film for years. The album featured not only Nino Rota's score, but large chunks of Shakespeare's dialogue. The success of this album in that pre-VHS era spurred Capitol to issue two other Romeo and Juliet albums - one a three-disk album containing the entire soundtrack of the film (dialogue and music), and another album containing only Nino Rota's score.

However, as Capitol was to be later accused of doing with Beatles albums, there was some tampering with the Years of Lightning and Romeo and Juliet albums. Extra music was added to some scenes which, in the actual film, contained little or no music, such as the duel between Romeo and Tybalt. Presumably this was done to show off the score - and at the end of both the abridged and complete versions of the Romeo albums, the end credits music was omitted, especially unfortunate since virtually all of the film's credits were saved for the end of the picture.

Capitol tried to strike gold again with another spoken word album, one made from the 1970 film Cromwell, starring Richard Harris and Alec Guinness, but in this case, both film and album were not successful.

The influence of the Romeo and Juliet album spread to other record companies for a brief while. Columbia Records issued an album of dialogue and music excerpts from the successful 1970 Dustin Hoffman film, Little Big Man, and 20th Century Fox Records included George C. Scott's opening and closing speeches, as well as Jerry Goldsmith's score, in their soundtrack album made from the film Patton.


[edit] Record altering
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The cover of Capitol's first "album" by The Beatles; the hit record "Meet the Beatles!".Capitol has been criticised many times for the heavy modification of albums being sold by Capitol in the USA which had been released in other countries beforehand. Possibly most infamous is Capitol's creation of "new" albums by The Beatles. This began with Capitol's release of Meet the Beatles!, the first album by the group to be released by Capitol in the USA. It was quite literally the British album With the Beatles, with five tracks ("Money", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Devil In Her Heart", "Please Mister Postman", and "Roll Over Beethoven") removed in favour of the band's first American hit single, which consisted of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There". On the album, these songs comprised two tracks, one for each respective song. They also added on the British version of the single's B-Side, "This Boy". Also notable is the issuing of "duophonic" stereo releases of some recordings where the original master was monophonic. Capitol engineers split the single master monaural track into two, boosted the bass on one track, boosted treble on the other track and combined them slightly out of phase to produce a "fake stereo" release. This duophonic process meant that the Beatles' American fans would often hear a slightly different song from that heard by the rest of the world.[2]

When With the Beatles was initially released in Brazil by EMI-Odeon, as well as in Canada, the title was at first modified to Beatlemania.

This trend continued through the Beatles' American discography, until the albums had little relation to their original British counterparts. The Beatles' albums were finally released unmodified starting with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This continued with other bands:

Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (on the Tower label), had several tracks removed in favour of their first hit single "See Emily Play". This was criticised because the removed tracks combined ("Flaming", "Bike", and "Astronomy Domine") were much longer than "Emily", making the removal of the three completely unnecessary for reasons of running time.
Iron Maiden's first two albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, had additional tracks as opposed to their UK counterparts. Iron Maiden's 1980 self-titled debut was released in the US a few months after its UK release with the track "Sanctuary" added on. Its follow-up, 1981's Killers, was also released a few months after later in the US after its initial UK release with the track "Twilight Zone" added to the album.
Megadeth's "Risk" album was littered with samples and guitar pieces which Dave Mustaine never authorised, causing him to release one final album on Capitol, Capitol Punishment, and then move on to a new label Sanctuary Records. As of right now, Megadeth's future with Capitol seems very bright, as they have released all their Remastered discs and their most recent Greatest Hits albums with Capitol. After leaving Sanctuary Records, it was rumoured that Megadeth would return to Capitol, but the rumour turned out to be untrue as Megadeth have recently signed with Roadrunner Records.
The company has also had a history of making mistakes with album releases; the American release of Klaatu's debut album 3:47 EST had several spelling errors on the track list, and later Capitol pressings of CD versions of Klaatu's albums suffered severe quality problems. The poor sound quality of Duran Duran's May 1982 release Rio (on Capitol subsidiary Harvest), contributed to the lag in initial sales, until a remixed version of the album was released in November.


[edit] The Capitol Records Tower
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The Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, with mural by Richard Wyatt titled Hollywood Jazz featuring prominent jazz artists Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington.The Capitol Records Tower is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Hollywood, California. The 13-story earthquake resistant tower, designed by Welton Becket, was the world's first circular office building, and is home to several recording studios. Although not originally specifically designed as such,[3] the wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable. The rectangular ground floor is a separate structure, joined to the tower after it was completed. It was completed in April of 1956, just north of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine as the consolidated West Coast operations of Capitol Records; it houses the operations of Capitol Records and Capitol Studios, a recording facility which includes an echo chamber engineered by guitarist Les Paul. It would also be known as "The House That Nat Built" due to the vast amounts of records and merchandise Nat "King" Cole sold for the company.

The first album recorded in the tower was Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color.

The blinking light atop the tower spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code, and has done so since the building's opening in 1956. This was an idea of Capitol's then president, Alan Livingston, who wanted to subtly advertise Capitol's being the first record label with a base on the west coast. The switch activating the light was thrown by Lyla Morse, Samuel Morse's granddaughter.[4] In 1992 it was changed to read "Capitol 50" in honor of the label's fiftieth anniversary. It has since returned to spelling "Hollywood".

In the 1974 disaster blockbuster film Earthquake, the tower was shown collapsing during a massive tremor. Thirty years later, in an homage to Earthquake, the tower was again depicted as being destroyed, this time by a massive tornado, in The Day After Tomorrow.

In September 2006, owner EMI announced that it had sold the tower and adjacent properties for $50 million to New York-based developer Argent Ventures.[5]


[edit] International operations

[edit] Canada
Capitol Records of Canada was established in 1949 by independent businessman W. Lockwood Miller. Capitol Records broke with Miller's company and formed Capitol Record Distributors of Canada Limited in 1954. EMI acquired this company when it acquired Capitol Records. In 1957, Paul White established an A&R department independent of the American company to promote talent for the Canadian market. They include home grown Canadian talent (of which Anne Murray is one of the more famous examples) as well as EMI artists from other countries. Canada only issues bore 6000 series catalogue numbers for LPs and 72000 series catalogue numbers for singles. Capitol Canada issues of American Capitol recordings bore the same catalogue numbers as their American counterparts. The company was renamed back to Capitol Records of Canada Ltd in 1958 after Miller's rights to the name expired. Beginning in 1962, Capitol of Canada issued albums by British artists such as Cliff Richard, Helen Shapiro and Frank Ifield. They said yes to The Beatles from day one, even though the American company turned them down during most of 1963. The company was renamed Capitol Records-EMI of Canada in 1974 then adopted its present name, EMI Music Canada, in the early 1990s.[1][2][3]

The current headquarters for EMI Music Canada, which operates the Capitol label, are located in Mississauga, Ontario.

The Canadian branch of Capitol won two Juno Awards in 1971, the leading music awards in that country. One Juno was for "Top Record Company" and the other was for "Top Promotional Company".


[edit] Taiwan
Capitol Records of Taiwan was established in 2006. It is home to several artistes who are megastars in the Chinese Music Industry. They include Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), Stefanie Sun (孙燕姿), Zhang Hui Mei (张惠妹), Stanley Huang (黄立行) and Show Luo (罗志祥). Even though artistes are signed on with this label, the albums are still released under EMI Music Taiwan.

Cedille Records

The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation is a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area through the production of audiophile-quality recordings on the Cedille Records label. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. The Foundation is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.

As a Foundation whose mission is the preservation of Chicago's classical music heritage, we serve as an advocate for musicians, ensembles, and composers seeking to make an impact and career in the classical music world. As commercial recording companies have pulled back from the classical marketplace, many classical artists have been left without a voice in the recording industry. Since 1989, Cedille Records has provided an essential link between some of Chicago's finest composers and musicians and music-loving audiences around the world.

Chicago is a cosmopolitan city with an abundance of outstanding musicians and musical organizations. Beyond its world-renowned symphony orchestra and opera company are many outstanding soloists and small and mid-sized presenting and performing groups through which Chicago has attained its well deserved status as one of the world's major musical centers. Creating a high-quality, recorded legacy of this resonant source of musical talent is important both for posterity and to enable local artists to reach a much wider contemporary audience than is possible through live performance. Cedille Records was founded to address this need, focusing on underexposed local artists and unjustly neglected classical repertory.

Cedille provides a valuable service to the Chicago musical community by exhibiting superb local performers and composers whose efforts might otherwise go undocumented due to the harsh economic realities of the commercial marketplace for classical recordings. All contributions to The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation are fully tax deductible and are gratefully acknowledged in writing. Please ask your employer about matching contributions.

Chesky Records

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is simple: to create the illusion of live musicians in a real three-dimensional space. Chesky Records tries to achieve the impression of reality with the most advanced technology available, careful microphone placement, and, most of all, a recording team that pays attention to every minute detail-making your listening experience tangible, pleasureable, exciting, and realistic. Our commitment to detail and our dedication to the music we produce has earned the company world-wide acclaim for the artistic and technical excellence of its releases. But Chesky Records didn't become a Grammy Award-winning independent audiophile label overnight: it's been nearly eleven years of hard work coupled with an abiding passion for great music that has gotten us this far, and it is this very same combination that will carry Chesky into the future.

Our History

It all started in 1978 when a young composer/musician named David Chesky, who was beginning a career on Columbia Records, found himself frustrated with the lack of artistic control afforded by his position. He asked his business partner and younger brother Norman if he thought they should start their own record company. But what did these two young men who had made their way from Miami to New York at a tender age know about running a business? Frankly, not much. But what the brothers may have lacked in corporate acumen they made up for with a burning passion to create great music and great sounds, and the desire to to create new and exciting ways to capture and reproduce music.

And so, Chesky Records was born. Norman remembers: "We wanted to please both musical connoisseurs and the high-end audiophiles by signing some of the best musicians in the world, and then capturing their live performances with the latest and best technology." Adds David, "I would walk into a recording studio and see fifty microphones set up. When I realized that people don't hear music that way, and that musicians play differently when they are recorded like that, I decided that if we ever started a company, it was going to have a different and unique recording philosophy."

By 1986, David was traveling to universities and talking to scientists and engineers about the parameters of recording capabilities. This was also the year that he had the honor of being introduced to the great classical pianist Earl Wild, who not only gave the younger musician some pointers on composition and performance, but also the opportunity to listen to the master tapes of one of his famous Rachmaninoff recordings from the Reader's Digest series. David was so impressed by what he heard that he and Norman struck a deal with Wild and Reader's to re-issue the work on audiophile-quality vinyl. The Cheskys had saved every nickel to build a custom mixer and tube tape recorder that would bring the original glory out of older recordings. The bid was successful, and the ensuing release was met with such widespread critical success that we were able to reissue the other Reader's recordings and then do the same with a number of orchestral works on RCA.

The next step would prove to be even more difficult than the first. We had to show that they were capable of not only producing wonderful reissues, but first-rate original recordings as well. Renting out the legendary RCA Studio A, we set up their custom-built equipment and recorded jazz violinist Johnny Frigo, followed in short succession by long-admired jazzmen Clark Terry and Phil Woods. As these initial efforts garnered raves from jazz fans and audiophiles alike, we managed to build a formidable roster of Latin American talent: Luiz Bonfa, Grammy-winning clarinet and alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, and vocalist Ana Caram. The Chesky catalog has grown steadily ever since, and includes jazz legends Peggy Lee, Herbie Mann, Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner, adult contemporary artists Livingston Taylor, Kenny Rankin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sara K., John Pizzarelli, and Christy Baron, classical keyboard masters Earl Wild and Igor Kipnis, and world music innovators Orquesta Nova, celebrated guitarist Badi Assad, Carlos Heredia, and I Ching. Along with the excitement over showcasing famous musicians and establishing newer ones came significant technical advances in the recording process. Chesky Records was the first company to use 128x Oversampling to achieve previously unheard levels of fidelity, while utilizing the finest analog-to-digital converters to attain what came to be known as High Resolution Recordings. Now Chesky is the first independent American record label to record using the new Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) technology. The recently introduced first recordings made with 96kHz/24-bit components have astonished even the hardest-to-please audiophiles, and they promise to be the future of high-end audio.

And at the same time that Chesky has been pushing the very boundaries of recorded music, we also reached our greatest artistic triumph. Paquito D'Rivera's third Chesky release, Portraits of Cuba, a beautiful collection of jazz interpretations of Cuban folksongs, won the 1997 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Performance, beating out a slew of major-label competitors. Chesky Records has its collective eye on the horizon. In 1997 we introduced a children's division, Chesky Records Kids, with the release of A Children's Introduction to the Orchestra. Maintaining its mission to produce only the highest-quality products, Chesky Records Kids focuses on music education and environmental awareness. Faced with a lack of musical education in the schools and a depleted classical music audience, Chesky Kids hopes to provide an aesthetic foundation which children will be able to build upon throughout their lives.

Striving to broaden our audience while staying fast to our commitment to use the finest technology available to deliver beautiful music, Chesky Records is developing the listening pleasures of tomorrow today.

Columbia Records

In 1887, a group of investors formed the American Graphophone Company, the beginning of what would eventually become Columbia Records. A century and a quarter later, Columbia endures as the oldest label in the recording industry. Columbia's story involves the entire history of the American recording industry and its impact on modern life. No other record label can claim that distinction. With a catalogue of distinctive artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand through to Bob Dylan and Adele, Columbia Records claims a fascinating 125-year history.

Scroll through our timeline by clicking and dragging across, skip through the decades by clicking on the bar at the bottom, or use your arrow keys for easy navigation. Click ?more' on each event to get access to more info, pictures and videos. If you get lost in the history, just click ?About this timeline' in the top right corner to come back to these instructions.

Concord Music Group

Concord Music Group (CMG) was formed in 2004 with the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company welcomed Telarc Records, and in 2010 Rounder Records was also brought into the family. Each of these companies has a long and storied history full of major music milestones and critical acclaim. Together, they bring rosters of current artists and legendary catalogs, which make CMG one of the largest and fastest-growing independent music companies in the world.

Part of CMG's mission statement proclaims the company shall "enrich lives by providing music of timeless appeal in innovative ways." This commitment to the music-loving public is why we continue to focus on music of quality and long-term appeal, while being cognizant of the changes in the way that consumers find and experience music. Examples of how we're implementing this mission include the revival of the classic Stax label, home to the finest in R&B and soul music, and Hear Music, a joint venture with Starbucks that makes music more readily accessible to fans.

Decca Records

Decca is one of the world's iconic record labels. The logo has been associated with some of recorded music's defining acts: The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Luciano Pavarotti and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. In recent years Decca Records has been selected as the official label partner of high profile events such as the 2011 Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the London 2012 Olympics and the 2016 Paralympics. Decca is also home to such diverse and distinctive artists as Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Gregory Porter, Melody Gardot, Aurora, The Shires, Ludovico Einaudi, Imelda May, Alfie Boe, The Lumineers and Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Find out more at: decca.com

Delos

"Greek mythology tells us that Apollo set out from the island of Delos every morning with his lyre in hand, bringing light, music and healing to the world. We at Delos International share the awareness that our world needs the balm of music." Amelia S. Haygood, President and founder

It is impossible to describe our label without talking about Amelia.

Amelia S. Haygood (1919-2007) was one of the most respected names in the classical recording industry. Founder and President of Delos, Amelia was a leader in the industry for much of the label's 34-year history. As the guiding force behind Delos, she maintained standard-setting quality in artistic excellence, integration of new technology, innovative presentation, and careful attention to every aspect of production.

Haygood was a leader in digital recording beginning in 1979, working closely with inventor Thomas Stockham and his prototype Soundstream digital recording process. Her company was the first independent label to sell its CDs in the US. Delos's Director of Recording, John Eargle, received the Grammy Award for Sound Engineering in 2001. Virtually every major audio publication worldwide has recognized Delos as the highest achievement in quality recording.

In her company's 34-year history, Haygood produced recordings with some of the most honored names in the classical music field: Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Janos Starker, Jean Pierre Rampal, Arleen Auger, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Andrew Litton, Zdenek Macal, James DePreist, Constantine Orbelian, Gerard Schwarz, David Shifrin, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Dennis Keene, Eugenia Zukerman, Ewa Podles, Olga Guryakova, Marina Domashenko and numerous others. Delos is respected worldwide both for its excellent recording of established names and its discoveries of rising talents. Haygood's company initiated significant trends in the classical music industry, among them the Great American Composers Series, Family Classics Series, and classical mood discs such as Carol Rosenberger's Perchance to Dream ? Lullabies for Children and Adults. Delos's "BabyNeeds" series was welcomed worldwide as the first and finest series ever produced for the very young.

Amelia Da Costa Stone Haygood was born in Gainesville, Florida. Her mother's side of the family descended from the original Spanish settlers of Florida. Her father, who came from a family of doctors, left a judgeship to join the law faculty of the University of Florida. Haygood grew up with an intense love for music, especially treasuring opera broadcasts and old recordings of the "golden age" singers.

Haygood's interest in languages and international relations took her to Paris to study at the Sorbonne when she was 16. While in Europe, she wrote
articles for her home town newspaper encouraging Americans to look beyond their then-isolationist point of view just before the beginning of World War II.

Back in the U.S., after majoring in history and international law, she went to
Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. State Department, where she became Editor and Director of Publications for the State Department Interdepartmental Committee for Cultural and Scientific Cooperation.

Leaving Washington to marry J. Douglas Haygood, a clinical psychologist then practicing in Cleveland, Amelia Haygood initiated, for the International YWCA, a women's program designed to develop interests outside of the home, especially in public affairs. Haygood's interest and skill as a therapist began to emerge, and she went back to school to do graduate work in medicine and clinical psychology, eventually going into practice with her husband in Beverly Hills, California.

In the medical setting, Haygood worked in the Veteran's Administration for four years, developing programs for pre-and post-operative patients and contributing to research and publication in the fields of spinal cord injury and neurosurgery.

After the death of her husband, Haygood left private practice to become psychological consultant to the Los Angeles County Probation Department, developing a successful pilot treatment program for juvenile offenders and their families, and conducting workshops for professionals in the field of family treatment.

In the early 1970s, after seeing a close friend through a long terminal
illness, Haygood felt she had reached a crossroads, and catalytic change was taking place. Her lifelong passion for music, her interest in musicians, recordings and advanced sound technology, as well as her graduate study of psychoacoustics and the physics of music, merged in a new life direction. Long a friend of a number of American concert artists, Haygood had become increasingly disappointed in the lack of recording opportunities for these fine artists. It occurred to her that providing an international platform for outstanding American artists and musical groups could be a worthy mission. In 1973, Delos was born. She named her company after the birthplace of the Sun god Apollo, who brought music and healing to the world, elements Haygood always felt to be closely connected with each other and with her own life.

It was a whole new life for this remarkable woman in the 34 years following Delos's beginning. She consistently kept her company on the leading edge of developments in sound recording, working closely with pioneers in the field, and initiating trends in the industry. Until the last months of a 12-year battle with cancer, Haygood remained Executive Producer of all recording projects, maintaining artistic and quality control through the various stages of recording, post-production, manufacture and packaging. One of Haygood's greatest joys was to share the enthusiasms and activities of her younger staff. Her intense interest in people, and her vast experience in communicating with people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds, gave Delos a unique perspective and direction.

A final word about Amelia from Dmitri Hvorostovsky:

"I've known Amelia for the past seven years. They have been the most exciting and thrilling years of my life. At what is probably the highest level of my career, I've been taking steps forward as I discovered where and how to go; taking risks, and challenging myself increasingly? The entire time, I have cherished Amelia's unwavering pride and involvement in everything that I've been through, every step of the way. I remember my first talks with Amelia, strolling in the little forest just outside of Moscow, where she listened to my life stories and talked and talked in return, with charm and wisdom? Ever since, whenever we've been together, something important was happening in my life. Red Square, Los Angeles, the Met, London, Paris, Milan? And through it all, Amelia's wholehearted interest and enthusiasm, her great knowledge and experience, her ongoing advice, have protected me from many mistakes, and have encouraged me to be brave and honest with myself and with other people? I loved Amelia and love her still. I am sad that I won't see her coming towards me with her outgoing, warmhearted smile, holding her usual glass of vodka in her hand?"
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Deutsche Grammophon

Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity.

The Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft was founded in 1898 by German-born United States citizen Emile Berliner as the German branch of his Berliner Gramophone Company. Based in the city of Hanover, the company had links with the U.S. Victor Talking Machine Company and the British HMV, but those links were severed at the onset of World War I.

In 1941 Deutsche Grammophon was purchased by the Siemens & Halske electronics company.

In 1945 as part of Germany's surrender terms ending World War II, Deutsche Grammophon forfeited its rights to the His Master's Voice trademark to EMI. The dog and gramophone were replaced by the "crown of tulips", designed by Siemens advertising consultant Hans Domizlaff.

In 1962 Siemens formed a joint venture with Netherlands based Philips to create the DGG/PPI Record Group, which was to include the PolyGram label.

Deutsche Grammophon were owners of the Beatles' first record label, Polydor Records.

Deutsche Grammophon pioneered the introduction of the compact disc to the mass market, debuting classical music performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic for sale in the new medium in 1983, the first recording being Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie.

In 1987 Siemens sold off its interest in Deutsche Grammophon, and Philips became the majority shareholder. In 1998 Seagram Company Ltd of Canada purchased Deutsche Grammophon and Polygram. Since then Deutsche Grammophon has been merged into the Universal Music Group, a division of Vivendi.

Deutsche Grammophon has a huge back catalogue of notable recordings. The company currently is reissuing a portion of it with the indication Originals. Originals compact disc releases are noted for their vinyl record stylized design. They are also releasing some of Decca Records' albums from the 1940's and '50's, such as those that Leonard Bernstein made for Decca in 1953, and the classic Christmas album which features Ronald Colman starring in A Christmas Carol and Charles Laughton narrating Mr. Pickwick's Christmas.

Disney Music

Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from Disney's motion pictures, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its roster of pop, teen pop, and country artists. The label was founded in 1956 as Disneyland Records. Before that time, Disney recordings were licensed to a variety of other labels such as RCA, Decca, Capitol, ABC-Paramount, and United Artists. It was Walt Disney's brother Roy O. Disney who suggested that Walt Disney Productions (now the modern-day The Walt Disney Company) form their own record label. Roy enlisted longtime staffer Jimmy Johnson to head this new division. It adopted its current name in 1988.

eOne

Entertainment One's goal is to become the world's leading independent content ownership and distribution business through organic growth and acquisitions.

The group's strategy is to acquire established businesses in English-speaking and European markets as well as grow organically through the acquisition of film content and the production of TV programmes.

The international film and TV distribution industry provides excellent opportunities for consolidating a network of independent distributors in different territories around the world to create a business with the scale to offer film producers an alternative to the major studios. Becoming a more attractive partner to film producers will in turn allow the group to access more film content.

Greater scale will also improve the group's ability to negotiate increased revenues and reduced costs through supply-side efficiencies, in particular lowering print and advertising expenditure.

Demand for filmed entertainment continues to grow as digital offers new opportunities for consumers to enjoy content via mobile and internet channels. The market study released by Oliver & Ohlbaum, forecasts strong market growth, with global revenues increasing to $115bn in 2012* (Source: From Middlemen to Mini Majors, Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates, Oct 2007.)

Hyena Records

HYENA Records was created in 2003 under the direction of record producer, Joel Dorn. The concept for the label was to build it with great music by one of a kind artists in a variety of genres, while combining both new recordings with a mix of stellar vault recordings. To date, HYENA has released music by the likes of The Bridge, Bethany & Rufus, Dale Watson,Grayson Capps , IsWhat?!, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey,James Blood Ulmer , John Ellis, Lafayette Gilchrist,Marco Benevento , Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle,Mushroom with Eddie Gale, Olav Larsen & The Alabama Rodeo Stars, Seth Walker, Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet. It has quickly become one of the most fascinating indie labels in the U.S.

Impulse!

Impulse! Records is an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in Santa Monica. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings and thanks to the consistent sales and critical kudos generated by his recordings, the label came to be known in retrospect as "the house that Trane built".

Impulse's parent company, ABC-Paramount Records, was established in 1955 as the recording division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). ABC had benefitted from the US government antitrust actions of the 1940s and 1950s, through which major broadcasters and film studios were forced to divest parts of their companies. In the early 1950s ABC acquired the Blue Network of radio stations from NBC and later merged with the newly independent Paramount Theaters chain, formerly owned by Paramount Pictures.

The new recording division was originally headquartered at 1501 Broadway, above the famous Paramount Theatre in Times Square. Under the leadership of ex-Paramount Pictures executive Leonard Goldenson, ABC "sought to establish itself as a cross-media force in television, theatres and sound recordings" and it enjoyed early success in TV with The Mickey Mouse Club, a joint venture with the Disney corporation.

In order to market music from the hugely successful TV show, ABC-Paramount established the Am-Par Record Corporation and the ABC-Paramount label in early 1955, appointing former Boston record distributor Sam Clark as president, with sales manager Larry Newton and A&R director Harry Levine, and the new recording company enjoyed Goldenson's full support. Producer-arranger Sid Feller, the company's first salaried employee, started work on 14 July 1955. The label scored some notable early successes in the pop field with acts such as Paul Anka.

In 1960 Am-Par established a new jazz subsidiary and hired noted producer Creed Taylor, who had previously worked with the New York-based Bethlehem Records label, as its inaugural house producer and A&R manager. Taylor initially decided on the name "Pulse", but shortly before the label was launched it was discovered that there was already a label with that name, so Taylor added a prefix, becoming Impulse. In the mid-60s, Impulse headquarters were moved to 1130 Avenue of the Americas.

Being almost exclusively an album-based label, Impulse! was able to exploit the new format to the fullest and its LPs are noted for their distinctive visual style. The label's trademark black, orange and white livery was devised by original art director Fran Attaway (then known as Fran Scott), whom Taylor also credits with establishing Impulse's tradition of using cutting-edge photographers for its covers. The Impulse colour scheme was chosen for its brightness and because no other label used this combination.

The label's striking logo featured the Impulse name in a heavy sans-serif lower-case font, followed by an exclamation mark that invertedly mirrors the lower-case "i" at the beginning. During the 1960s, Impulse! covers and disc labels featured variations on this colour scheme (a notable exception to the colour scheme is the John Coltrane album A Love Supreme, possibly the most iconic release of the label's catalogue, which uses the usual design in black and white only); for most of the 1960s the front cover of Impulse! albums typically featured the Impulse logo, usually (but not always) in orange letters in a white circle, with black-and-orange exclamation marks above it and the album catalog number below it. The classic design of the disc label, used for most of the 1960s, featured alternations of the Impulse name and the "i-and-exclamation-mark" logo in white-and-orange, set in a black ring, which encircled the label details, most of which was printed in bold black lettering on an orange circle, with some details printed in white. Around 1968 the circular front-cover badge was replaced by a new one-colour design, featuring a simplified Impulse! logo and the ABC Records logo side by side, within a divided rectangular border.

Like its contemporaries Blue Note and Verve, the front covers of Impulse's LPs often featured stylish large-format photographs or paintings, usually in full colour, which were typically 'bled out' to the edges of the cover and printed on glossy laminated stock. Many of the best-known Impulse! covers were designed by art director Robert Flynn and photographed by a small group that included Pete Turner (who also shot many renowned covers for the Verve, A&M and CTI labels), Chuck Stewart, famed portraitist Arnold Newman, Ted Russell and Joe Alper (also known for his early '60s photographs of Bob Dylan). The distinctive, sparse black and white back cover designs bore the slogan "The New Wave of Jazz is on IMPULSE!"; most Impulse! LPs were issued in a gatefold sleeve with photographs and liner notes or an essay inside or, in some cases, multi-page insert booklets.

Impulse!'s founding house producer and A&R manager Creed Taylor scored early success by signing Ray Charles, who had just ended his contract with Atlantic Records. Charles' debut for the label, Genius + Soul = Jazz provided Impulse with its first major hit, and became the fourth-highest charting album of Charles' career. Other early successes included the album Out of the Cool by composer-arranger Gil Evans, who had risen to prominence through his work with Miles Davis. Taylor also set the scene for the label's most successful period with his far-sighted signing of another former Atlantic artist, saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, who had also risen to fame during his stint with Miles Davis in the 1950s. Another significant early Impulse release was The Blues and the Abstract Truth by composer-arranger Oliver Nelson, who led an all-star group that featured Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Roy Haynes. Nelson played an important role in the label's early years before relocating to Los Angeles, where he became an in-demand arranger for film and television. Creed Taylor left Impulse in the summer of 1961 after being approached by MGM to take over the running of Verve Records.

The Thiele Years: 1961-69 - Creed Taylor's successor Bob Thiele produced nearly all of the albums released during Impulse's 'classic' period in the 1960s. He had previously worked for Decca Records and its subsidiaries Coral and Brunswick, where his production credits included Alan Dale, The McGuire Sisters, Pearl Bailey and numerous hits for singer Theresa Brewer, whom he married. In the face of resistance from Decca executives suspicious of the emerging rock 'n' roll trend, Thiele scored a major coup by signing singer-songwriter Buddy Holly to Brunswick in 1957.

Although not initially familiar with the 'new jazz' movement, Thiele proved to be a relaxed, sympathetic and open-minded producer who backed the creative choices of his artists, afforded them unprecedented freedom in their choice of repertoire, and gave leading acts like Coltrane virtual carte blanche in the studio. During the period that Taylor and Thiele led the label, many Impulse! albums were recorded at the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio owned and operated by engineer Rudy Van Gelder, and this association lasted from the label's inception until around the time of Thiele's departure in the late 1960s.

Thiele's first Impulse! production was John Coltrane's Live! at the Village Vanguard, released in March 1962. In terms of its catalogue, Impulse! during the Thiele years is recognised as a key outlet for free jazz and the broad musical movement (sometimes referred to as "The New Thing") that was spearheaded by artists including John Coltrane and his wife Alice, Albert Ayler, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and McCoy Tyner. Alongside Impulse's groundbreaking avant-garde releases, Thiele also facilitated and produced the recording of two classic collaborations between Coltrane and two of their mutual heroes, Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins. Other notable performers who recorded for Impulse! during this period included Charles Mingus.

Aided by good promotion and ABC-Paramount's well-established distribution chain, Coltrane enjoyed the highest profile and the strongest and most consistent sales of any Impulse! artist. As well as its enormous artistic influence, Coltrane's classic 1965 LP A Love Supreme became one of the most successful jazz albums ever released-it sold more than 100,000 copies on its first release, and by 1970 it had sold more than half a million. It is also widely acknowledged that the music Coltrane recorded between 1961 and 1967 exerted an enormous effect on both jazz and popular music. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds has repeatedly stated that he listened to Coltrane extensively in this period, and that Coltrane's saxophone playing was a direct influence on his own 12-string guitar playing on The Byrds' landmark 1965 hit "Eight Miles High". In 1967, ABC-Paramount Records changed its name to ABC Records.

Coltrane's premature death from liver cancer in 1967 robbed Impulse! of its most prestigious, best-selling and productive artist, but Coltrane had recorded far more for the company than could be contemporaneously released and subsequent anthology collections were interspersed with new albums that featured previously unreleased recordings or alternate versions of previously issued tracks. Many of these recordings were co-produced by his widow Alice at the couple's home studio and issued through a distribution deal facilitated by Thiele.

Bob Thiele gradually severed his ties with Impulse! during 1969, setting up a short-lived deal to provide independently-produced recordings, before leaving the label entirely to establish his own imprint, Flying Dutchman Records. Thiele's departure was in part precipitated by the breakdown of his relationship with ABC Records president Larry Newton. One of Thiele's last major productions before leaving Impulse! was the classic Louis Armstrong song "What A Wonderful World", which Thiele co-wrote and produced for ABC's pop division shortly before Armstrong's death. Although the musicians were apparently unaware of the drama, the recording session is reported to have been the scene of a major clash between Thiele and Newton. When Newton arrived at the session he became upset when he discovered that Armstrong was recording a ballad rather than a 'Dixieland'-style number like his earlier hit "Hello Dolly". According to Thiele's own account, this led to a screaming match; Newton then had to be locked out of the studio and he stood outside throughout the session, banging on the door and yelling to be let in.\

Possibly because of this clash, the single was released with little promotion from ABC and it sold relatively poorly in the USA, although it fared extremely well in Europe, where it sold more than 1.5 million copies and went to #1 in the United Kingdom. Demand from ABC's European distributor EMI for a What A Wonderful World album forced ABC to issue one but they did not promote the album either so it did not chart in the U.S. Ironically, twenty years later, it became the most successful recording of both Armstrong and Thiele's careers, thanks to its inclusion on the hit soundtrack to the Robin Williams film Good Morning, Vietnam.

The 1970s - Under the guidance of Thiele's successor Ed Michel, Impulse! continued to issue notable recordings, including the debut album by the Liberation Music Orchestra, the first of four acclaimed collaborations between bassist Charlie Haden and composer-arranger Carla Bley. The company also acquired LPs that Sun Ra had recorded for his private label, making them more widely available for the first time.

In the early 1970s ABC restructured its recording division, merging the ABC label with its other pop-rock subsidiary, Dunhill Records -- whose roster included The Mamas & the Papas, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and Steely Dan -- and Impulse! was moved west to share headquarters with ABC-Dunhill in Los Angeles. By this time pop-rock acts dominated the company's output, with Impulse! releases accounting for only 5 percent of total sales. It was also during this time that Impulse! became the first all-jazz label to release a rock album when they issued Trespass, the second album by Genesis, in the U.S. in 1970, predating Norah Jones' signing to Blue Note by well over thirty years. (Trespass was reissued on ABC in 1974).

In 1974, ABC acquired the Famous Music labels and catalog from Gulf+Western, and subsequently, that company's jazz recordings were incorporated into the Impulse! catalog.

New recordings from the label ceased in the late 1970s, but ABC kept reissuing classic titles until the company was sold to MCA Records in 1979. The label name has since been revived for new recordings only for short periods. Impulse! has released new recordings by artists with historic ties to the label such as McCoy Tyner and Alice Coltrane, as well as more mainstream and commercial artists like Diana Krall. Impulse! is now part of Universal Music Group's jazz holdings, The Verve Music Group.

Innova

Innova Recordings is dedicated to forward-looking (-hearing?) work that pushes and challenges the boundaries of contemporary music. The label's releases are less dictated by record-bin-constraints or typical notions of marketability, but by the integrity of the work, its originality, conceptual richness and technical quality, and the artist's willingness to support and promote the release.

Innova redefines the typical relationship between artist and label. Artist and label work together, taking advantage of each other's strengths, to provide both the tools of an established record label and the freedom usually associated with self-publishing.

Innova is geared towards work that is unlikely to find a home in the mainstream record industry. We focus on world class music-regardless of its genre (or lack of one, even though for convenience we use words like New Classical, Jazz, Experimental, Electronic and World)-that commercial labels overlook. When innova accepts a project it means that we believe not only in the quality of the work but also in our ability to help it reach new audiences. Innova is not a vanity label that accepts all projects; they need to be a good fit with our resources, and we need to be convinced that we can do a better job of promoting and selling the records than artists could do by themselves or via a different route.

Innova has no profit motive. Artists take on the financial risk of releasing their work. As long as we release a minimum number of titles each year, innova stays in business; artist admin fees and our endowment interest subsidize our office of staff members dedicated to each project. This arrangement also allows us to be especially friendly to projects that take artistic risks. We are motivated not by gouging the artist but by wanting to make the world a better place through significant new music.

In other words, it's the artists not the label controlling the purse strings. That's what makes innova truly unique. We help artists shepherd their own careers, and we want their voices heard on both the artistic and the business levels. We promise ubiquity to every release.

Once a project is accepted, we work in partnership with the artists to help them develop their art and make the recording the best it can possibly be. We also work together on the accompanying marketing plan and implement it to reach sales and visibility goals. Records don't sell themselves, but we can keep costs low and put profitable sales within our artists' reach.

Like our parent organization, the American Composers Forum, innova serves artists and their careers. We are part business, part service.

Releasing an album through innova means being part of a team effort - artist and label working together, with no secret agendas and no politics. The music industry is an industry like any other, and profits are its bottom line. As that rarest of birds, a non-profit label, innova has a different bottom line - our artists. Think of us as the great equalizer. Hey, we even got a grant from a Payola legal settlement to make amends to the rest of the usurious industry.

We have a flexible, innovative business model, a different kind of architecture, and offer a supportive environment to artists. Innova is a place to try out new marketing ideas as well as new musical ones. Many of our artists are repeat customers and much new business comes from word of mouth; that makes us proud of our innova family.

Jazzheads

Jazzheads is an independent record label specializing in all styles of improvised music. Jazzheads prides itself in releasing CDs that take great care in the recording process in order to achieve a high level of musical integrity along with great sounding recordings.

The company is headed by award winning composer, Randy Klein. Randy takes a very active part in working with all aspects of the recordings that are released on Jazzheads. He demands a high level of musical excellence from himself as well as from the product on the label.

Currently all of our CD catalog is listed and streaming music is available on all CDs. Our digital download portion of the site up and running.? You can download entire CDs.?? We are still uploading reviews about our artists and CDs.? The site is for you to learn more about the great music on Jazzheads.

So thank you for visiting.? Please come back and tell your friends about Jazzheads CDs.

Justin Time Records

As the old expression goes, "Time flies when you're having fun." Well, time has sure flown by. Nearly thirty years of some really outstanding recording sessions and over 375 total productions. It's interesting to note that our first three signings - Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, and the Montreal Jubilation Choir [arranged and conducted by Trevor W. Payne] - are all still recording with us today. We are very proud of this fact, and, on a personal level, I'm extremely pleased to consider them all wonderful friends.

 

We're also proud to have worked with some of the greatest musical talent in the world: the late great Oscar Peterson, David Murray, Dave Van Ronk, Paul Bley, Kenny Wheeler, Rob McConnell, Carmen Lundy, Jimmy Rowles, Sonny Greenwich, Bryan Lee, Diana Krall, Hank Jones, D.D. Jackson, Hamiet Bluiett, Billy Bang, Fontella Bass, Susie Arioli, World Saxophone Quartet, Frank Marino and David Clayton-Thomas - and this is by no means an exhaustive list, nor does it address the thousands of featured artists on our many recording sessions.

 

In order to make all of these great recordings and market them to the public at large you need a wonderful team. First and foremost you need a group of folks who love and understand music. We are very fortunate to have a number of people with these qualities. Nancy Marley is someone who has been there since virtually the label's inception and is an invaluable asset, as are publicists Simon Fauteux in Quebec, Jane Harbury in Toronto, and Nelly Dimitrova, heading up our publishing and licensing department.

 

On the technical side of things, we have used the services of many recording engineers, mastering engineers, and recording technicians over the years. Bill Szawlowski, Ian Terry, Jim Anderson, Jim Czak, Renée-Marc Aurèle and many others. Hopefully great sound will continue to be an integral part of all future recordings.

 

There is a huge network of people that help in the promotion and marketing of every recording. It is indeed teamwork that is required. From publicists, to record trackers, festival organizers, jazz clubs, retailers, managers, agents, radio broadcasters, critics, and all forms of media, all the funding programs that are available in Canada, and last, but certainly not least, all those wonderfully talented artists. We could not do this without you.

 

At the local level, we must praise the wonderful network of Jazz Festivals and societies throughout Canada. If we were to single out one festival in particular that has had a major impact on our success, that would be without a doubt the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Alain Simard and André Ménard, along with their wonderful team, have managed to organize year after year one of the largest and best jazz festivals in the world. Congratulations, and thank you for all your support.

 

On the international front, and in well over thirty countries, we thank each partner for all the work they do in their respective countries, helping to promote our productions to new audiences.

 

Even though our industry is going through significant changes in the way music is both produced and consumed, the fact remains that that people want great music and we want to continue providing that for many years to come.

Lost Highway

Lost Highway Records was formed by Luke Lewis in 2000, Lost Highway Records operates as a country music label, based out of Nashville. The company named was inspired by a Hank Williams song. Today the label operates in conjunction with The Island Def Jam Music Group.

Notable artists include Ryan Adams, Hayes Carll, Elvis Costello, Eagles, Bernard Fanning, Donavon Frankenreiter, Mary Gauthier, Golden Smog, The Jayhawks, Tift Merritt, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, and Lucinda Williams.

Additionally Lost Highway distributed the soundtracks for O' Brother, Where Art Thou , Deadwood, and Open Season by Paul Westerberg. They have also acted as distributor for albums from Johnny Cash and Lyle Lovett.

Mack Avenue

Founded in the late 1990's in Detroit, Michigan, Mack Avenue Records' beginnings were conceived out of a genuine love for jazz and the artists that create it. Gretchen Valade, the label's founder, sat at the grand piano in her living room composing Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee–inspired vocal charts and wanted to find a way to get them recorded. In that moment Mack Avenue was born. The label's first few recordings spotlighted both young talent and storied jazz veterans, a mix which contributed to our artistic philosophy in the years that followed.

With new recordings by George Shearing, Gerald Wilson, OscarCastro-Neves, Terry Gibbs and a handful of newcomers, passion guided our early agenda and shortly a business infrastructure emerged to match it. Creatively we were driven by the idea that we could be a partner to highly-acclaimed established artists looking to further their careers and, at the same time, nurture the next generation of jazz's undiscovered greats. Soon, Mack Avenue's releases were being noticed globally for their attention to artistic merit as well as sonic and visual quality.

In 2006, we opened our Los Angeles office and started our publishing company. Two years later we acquired three contemporary imprints, expanding our boutique roster to include artists such as Jonathan Butler, Kirk Whalum, Rahsaan Patterson, Brian Bromberg, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, and the Kenny Rankin catalog, among others. These additions broadened the musical genres that we represent to include gospel, adult R&B, singer/songwriter and blues, stepping out from the jazz genre for the first time. Around that time critically acclaimed artists such as Kenny Garrett, Stanley Jordan, Christian McBride, Yellowjackets, Danilo Pérez, Gary Burton and Kevin Eubanks began to record with the label, strengthening our place among leading modern day jazz recording companies.

Mack Avenue's recordings have won or been nominated for multiple Grammy®, NAACP, A2IM Libera Awards and other media honors, including our most recent Grammy® nominees Stanley Clarkeand Alfredo Rodríquez (2015) and Cecile McLorin Salvant, Jimmy Greene, Kirk Whalum and Christian McBride (2016). Our artists have enjoyed top positions on numerous sales, radio and other industry charts, and much of that success has been driven by a combination of creative instinct, strategic risk taking and sound business practices. This was made possible because one very enthusiastic music fan in Detroit sat at her piano and decided she wanted to record what she was writing. She got those songs recorded – in style – and then watched as her creation blossomed, providing leadership and vision at critical points along the way.

As our creative endeavors and passionate commitment lead us into a variety of genres, our primary mission of recording and presenting music that inspires remains intact. Take a look around our site, visit us on social media and enjoy some great music in the process!  

Manhattan Records

Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall, and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records after absorbing the EMI America Records imprint. In addition to being a fully functional label in its own right, EMI Manhattan was also used to reissue back catalogue titles from Capitol Records, as well as other EMI labels, such as United Artists Records and Liberty Records. It also distributed new albums from Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Records?during the later half of the 1980s as well, after a 15-year stint with CBS Records. The deal also gave EMI the distribution rights to PIR's back catalog from 1976 onward (CBS, later Sony Music, would retain the rights to PIR's catalog up to 1975).

The primary artist released on EMI Manhattan Records wasb Kenny Rogers. His hugely successful United Artists Records and Liberty albums, including "The Gambler" and "We've Got Tonight" were reissued on CD on EMI Manhattan. The label was also used to reissue singles (at that time, issued on vinyl 45s). Again, the main artist was Rogers. His biggest hits, including "The Gambler," "Lucille," and "Lady" were reissued on singles in the 1980s.

Notable artists signed to EMI Manhattan Records included Richard Marx, Queensr che, Bernard Wright, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robbie Nevil, Lila Downs, Natalie Cole (her two Manhattan albums would later be reissued by Elektra Records),Anoushka Shankar, Baltimora, and Thomas Dolby. Pet Shop Boys were also distributed in North America on the label, being signed and distributed in the UK by Parlophone. In 1992, EMI Manhattan was dismantled and absorbed into Capitol Records with the catalog bearing the EMI label.

In 2001, the Manhattan label was relaunched (sans the EMI prefix) as a division of EMI Clsssics by veteran record producer Arif Mardin. Richard Marx, one of its flagship artists during the label's heyday, returned to the label upon its revival. In2006, EMI reorganized its adult music operations and put the Manhattan label under the aegis of the Blue Note Label Group.

Mercury Classics

Launched in April 2012 by Universal Music, Mercury Classics aims to identify and work with strong creative individuals who bring a distinctive and fresh perspective to classical music, whether they are young artists approaching the genre in a new way, or established musicians, outside the field, curious about exploring the genre. Since the separation of Island Records, Motown, Mercury Records, and Def Jam Recordings combining the Island Def Jam Music Group, Mercury Records has been placed under Island Records, although its back catalogue is still owned by The Island Def Jam Music Group.

MSR Classics

MSR Classics is an independent record label committed to a culture of musical discovery, inspiration and excellence. Founded in 1998 as Musicians Showcase Recordings, MSR Classics (since August 2003) offers recording artists the opportunity to create and release an album, and to have it distributed and promoted in a global market - as a Compact Disc and in the digital domain as well. Whether releasing a debut album or adding to an existing catalogue of recordings, artists benefit from the MSR team's decades of experience. As part of its commitment to excellence, MSR partners with only the most talented audio production, graphic design and editorial professionals in the industry, assuring an uncommon integrity in concept, content and realization.

MSR is under the ownership and direction of Robert LaPorta, a 31-year veteran of the Music Industry. Just prior to taking over the label in 2006, LaPorta was the Studio Manager of the highly reputable Squires Music Production in Elmsford, New York (2003-2006). Prior to that, he was Director of Classics at the Angel Records group, which encompassed EMI Classics, Virgin Classics and Angel Records (1993-2001). At the PolyGram Classics & Jazz label group, he was Marketing and Production Manager with London-Decca Records, Deutsche Grammophon and Philips Classics (1989-1993). He began his career as a Publicity and Contracts Associate at ICM Artists (now Opus 3) management in New York after having been turned down for a job at The Record Hunter (1987-1989). While at PolyGram and EMI, LaPorta was directly involved with several Gold Record projects, including The Three Tenors and the Chant series.

Earlier, LaPorta worked as a studio engineer and on-air host at Colgate University's student-run radio station, WRCU-FM, in Hamilton, New York (1985-1987). An active participant in all areas of the music industry, he has been a voting member of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) since 1993 and is a former member of the Grammy Classical Committee. LaPorta is a skilled mobile recording engineer, and is highly active documenting concert events in Connecticut, New York and beyond. Always interested in making new connections with musicians and other music professionals, he is a regular attendee of industry conferences, including those hosted by the International Horn Society, American Choral Directors Association, International Double Reed Society, International Trumpet Guild, Chamber Music America, National Flute Association and New York Flute Club, American Guild of Organists and Tuba Christmas.

In the performing arena, Robert LaPorta is the Founder and previous Personnel Director of the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony, a 70-piece concert band based in Westchester County. He also served as Board President of the Westchester Symphonic Winds, which was an outgrowth of the HVWS. LaPorta was a trombonist and Principal Euphonium with the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony and Westchester Symphonic Winds, and performed on trombone and percussion with the Westchester Philharmonic, Norwich Festival Orchestra, Hamilton Festival Orchestra, Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Larchmont Concert Band, Bronxville Concert Band, Yonkers Pops Band and Armonk Community Band. LaPorta was also Principal Timpanist with the Colgate Concert Orchestra (1985-1987), and Director of the Colgate Jazz Band (1986). He has composed three fantasias, one march and a chorale for symphonic band, a fantasia for symphony orchestra, and numerous pieces for chamber groups, synthesizer and solo instruments. As an arranger, he has transcribed several Baroque works for brass quartet and quintet, and arranged the Alma Maters and Fight Songs for the New Rochelle High School Marching Band and the Colgate University Marching Band. LaPorta is currently working to form The Newtown Brass.

Born in the "Queen City on the Sound" (New Rochelle, New York) on 26 March 1965, LaPorta earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and was one credit short of a Bachelor of Music at Colgate University, where he studied composition with Dexter Morrill and orchestration with the late William Skelton, who studied with Paul Hindemith at Yale. LaPorta, whose father invented the word "Snapple", studied folk guitar with Gus de Gazio, percussion with John F. Sammel, euphonium with Thomas Reichert and Dolores Beck and trombone with Mo Snyder. He also completed coursework in graphic design and advertising at Iona College in New Rochelle.

PACKAGE DESIGN & LAYOUT

World-class package design and layout is available to MSR artists through our long-term partnerships with experienced graphic artists. MSR releases have the benefit of being created by design professionals who have worked with internationally known artists on such esteemed record labels as EMI Classics, Blue Note Records, Angel Records, Virgin Classics and Manhattan Records. Art Direction is carried out by our experienced staff, which collectively has managed the design of more than 1500 CDs. Manufacturing (disc replication and print production) is carried out in the United States to the most exacting standards. The entire process, from planning through design and manufacture, is handled with care, attention to detail and efficiency.

ANNOTATION

While the majority of MSR artists furnish written material for inclusion in their CD packages, MSR offers annotation services for an additional fee. Whether the project calls for a brief overview or a highly detailed musicological analysis, MSR artists are assured of interesting, accurate and appropriate annotation, created by seasoned music professionals, many with conservatory training. In addition, MSR maintains relationships with numerous skilled writers versed in all areas of music performance, history and composition, including Richard Freed, Eric Salzman, Erik Eriksson, Stephen Zohn, and many others.

PRODUCTION

MSR releases are produced to the highest possible technical standards, and with a skilled direction that only dozens of years of experience in this area can provide. The coordination of materials with package designer and manufacturer is handled with expertise, and the manufacture itself is carried out entirely in the United States by one of the largest and most highly regarded disc manufacturers in the world. Through careful project management and long-term industry relationships, MSR disc production is typically accomplished in approximately four weeks.

MECHANICAL LICENSING

For projects involving compositions not in the Public Domain, and therefore requiring mechanical licenses, MSR can manage from start to finish the process by which all necessary licenses are obtained, and royalty fees payed. It is not uncommon for MSR artists to benefit from reduced license royalty rates as a function of our ongoing relationship with experienced licensing administrators and the world's major music publishing houses.

ROYALTY ADMINISTRATION

MSR artists receive detailed Royalty Statements and payments once a year, typically by the end of February. Inventory management and all subsequent royalty accounting and disbursement is handled on premises by MSR, reducing the likelihood of error and missed payments. The royalty rates afforded MSR artists are among the very highest in the recording industry, ranging from 30% to 50% of sales revenue.

STORAGE

MSR artists are given the option of storing up to 300 units of their release at the MSR facility at no charge. Having product on-site offers many benefits to the artist. MSR webstore orders are fulfilled directly and immediately from the on-site warehouse. Artists do not have to bear the burden of storing all quantity of their product on their own. Further, the product is available to the artist at any time during normal business hours. MSR can ship discs at the request of the artist (shipping expenses are charged back per the request).

DISTRIBUTION

Domestic (US) Retail Music Distribution - On average, four months after the initial MSR and Amazon.com release, the CD is released by MSR's industry distribution partners to an extensive network of domestic accounts, on a consignment basis, for traditional retail and internet merchants.

Amazon.com - Immediately upon release, MSR CD releases are available on Amazon. The item listing includes a color image of the CD cover and rear inlay as well as detailed information about the artist(s) and repertoire

MSR Webstore - Immediately upon release, MSR releases are featured on the MSR website (www.msrcd.com), with multiple category listings and an individual webpage. The individual page includes a color image of the CD cover, detailed information about the artist and musical selections, press reviews, and a 0:45 audio sample. Hyperlinks to additional content can also be provided.

International Distribution - MSR titles are selectively available in Canada, UK, Japan and sporadically in other territories around the globe.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

MSR establishes and administers global Digital Download services.

Narada Jazz

Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label. Now a fully-owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar and piano genre releases. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Narada created several sub-label imprints to differentiate their offerings in the marketplace, in particular: Sona Gaia, Antiquity Records, Rising Sun Records, Narada World, Narada Jazz, and Narada Mystique. In 1997 (see 1997 in music), along with its affiliated companies, Narada was purchased by EMI and put under the fold of Virgin Records.

Since the acquisition, Narada has become the principal US licensee for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, the various sub-labels of Narada have been retired and their albums folded into the company's main imprint "Narada." Higher Octave, also acquired by EMI in 1997 was absorbed into Narada in 2004 as a sub-label retaining its imprint but not its staff. Higher Octave's roster of artists and albums was significantly reduced as part of this merge. During the first few years of the decade, Narada created a short-lived sub-label titled Shakti Records for releasing electronic "chill-out" music, but this imprint did not see much activity and was dropped as Narada's focus on contemporary jazz releases increased. Back Porch Records (folk and Americana music) was also acquired by EMI in 1997 and included as a sub-label imprint under the Narada umbrella.

In 2005, Narada was named as #4 in the 2005 top 4 Contemporary Jazz labels in Billboard's year-end issue summary charts.

In 2006, Narada (including Higher Octave and Back Porch Music) was moved by EMI from its original location in the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, Wisconsin, to EMI's New York City headquarters, to become part of the newly expanded role for Blue Note Records with EMI, which is to function as EMI's consolidated label group for music for adults. Additional labels joining Blue Note in this new function are Mosaic Records, Capitol Jazz, Roulette Jazz, Pacific Jazz, Manhattan, Angel & Metro Blue. Each of those, including Narada and Higher Octave, will continue to use their existing imprints. As part of this consolidation, Narada's involvement with New Age music has been reduced with Narada's focus narrowed to mainly Contemporary Jazz, while Narada's New Age music content migrates to sister label Higher Octave

Naxos

Since 1987, Naxos has redefined how classical music is presented and marketed. Innovative strategies of recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent have enabled the label to develop one of the largest and fastest growing catalogues of unduplicated repertoire available anywhere--currently over 2500 titles--with state-of-the-art sound and consumer-friendly prices.

Naxos is the brainchild of Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover based in Hong Kong. To boost the sales for his electronics equipment company, Heymann began organising concerts of classical music in Hong Kong sponsored by Bose and Revox. When visiting artists involved in the concerts discovered that their records could not be found in Hong Kong shops, record distribution became an additional enterprise of Heymann's company.

Another result of the classical concerts was Heymann's marriage to Takako Nishizaki, a world-class Japanese violinist. Heymann decided to make recordings with Nishizaki, one of the first recordings being The Butterfly Lovers Concerto. The recording met with immediate success and sold hundreds of thousands of copies across Asia, compelling Heymann to start HK, a record label devoted to Chinese symphonic music. Success continued, and the desire to record Western repertoire blossomed into Marco Polo, a label offering primarily rare symphonic repertoire composed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

When manufacturing costs of compact discs dropped in 1986, Klaus Heymann saw an opportunity for a budget-priced CD label-a label that could offer customers classical CDs for the same price as LPs. The first Naxos releases were a success, and the young, independent label began to build its catalogue by recording standard repertoire with young or unknown artists. As the popularity of Naxos began to increase with little or no competition from the major labels, the company developed into a full-fledged classical label offering a full range of classical music to beginners and collectors, with little or no duplication of repertoire.

Naxos CDs today continue to retail at a cost similar to their original introductory prices. Costs are kept to a minimum by focusing on the music rather than the artist-money is not wasted on expensive artist promotions, and profits are invested into recordings of new music rather than multiple versions of standard repertoire already in the catalogue. Naxos recordings include complete cycles or cycles-in-progress of basic repertoire such as the complete works of Chopin or the complete string quartets of Haydn, but the label also has ventured into rarities and contemporary works, including recordings of repertoire by Joachim Raff, William Henry Fry, and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Naxos is also active in the DVD business and now distributes Arthaus and BBC/Opus Arte DVDs world-wide as well as TDK in most major markets, and the company also has begun releasing recordings in the DVD-Audio format.

Naxos has been aggressive in the development of educational and outreach materials, specifically designed to introduce new listeners to the joys of classical music. Two resources at the forefront of this effort are Naxos.com, the company's comprehensive music website complete with composer biographies and online listening, and Naxos AudioBooks, the award-winning label which incorporates Naxos recordings of music into fine readings of classic literature.

The Naxos label also has gained stature by pioneering groundbreaking projects like the American Classics series. Currently numbering at about 100 titles, the series is set to be the most comprehensive recording project of American concert music ever attempted. Naxos is also leading the field with the landmark Naxos Historical Series. The releases in this massive restoration project are engineered by leading restoration engineers/artists. The series covers all genres of classical music as well as legends of jazz and pop music from the first half of the 20th Century. Other notable Naxos series include Japanese Classics, Spanish Classics, Early Music, Organ Encyclopaedia, the Guitar Collection, and Opera Classics. The catalogue of Naxos World, a pioneering world music label, includes international music of many different cultures and genres, folk, pop and classical alike.

Through these and other accomplishments, Naxos has become the World's leading Classical Music label, garnering awards from major music publications including Gramophone Awards and numerous Editor's Choices, GRAMMYR nominations, nominations and wins for the Cannes Classical Awards, and AFIM nominations and awards.

Naxos offers music lovers a veritable encyclopaedia of music, all at an affordable price.

ondine

The roots of Ondine date back to 1985 when founder Reijo Kiilunen released the very first Ondine album under the auspices of the renowned Finnish Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. The label's initial mission was to produce one live album at the Festival each season. The fourth album, however, featured Einojuhani Rautavaara's opera Thomas (ODE 704-2), raising major international attention and opening the ground for overseas distribution. Kiilunen, who was running the Festival's concert agency and had begun the recording activity part-time, soon decided to devote himself fully to the development of this new business, producing and editing the first 50 releases himself.

The Helsinki-based company has been expanding steadily ever since. In 2009, Ondine joined the international Naxos music group as an independent unit within the organization. Throughout well over 30 years, Ondine has released more than 600 carefully selected CDs, Hybrid SACDs and DVDs. The label's albums enjoy wide international distribution and are also available for digital download or streaming from all essential online outlets.

Over the years, Ondine has established itself as one of the most respected labels in classical music, and its products have received numerous prizes at the Cannes (MIDEM) Classical Awards, the Gramophone Classical Music Awards, the BBC Music Magazine Awards, the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), Echo and German Record Critics's Awards and Diapason d'Or de l'année.

In a larger context, Ondine's history of success has played a part in the strong development of Finland's cultural visibility internationally, which has gone hand in hand with the economic and technological rise of the country since the mid-1990s. Ondine is proud to have shared in the forging of the Finnish "classical miracle" which is now widely recognized around the world.

Oxingale - PENTATONE

PENTATONE's reputation for excellence is supported by a catalogue of some of the very best that classical music has to offer.PENTATONE is a classical music label specialising in high-end recordings with top international artists. It was founded in the Netherlands in 2001 by three former Philips Classics executives. More than a decade later, PENTATONE is continuously realising the vision, by pushing boundaries to produce the highest quality recordings. One of the first successful projects of PENTATONE was the recording of the music played at the wedding ceremony of the King of The Netherlands Willem-Alexander in 2002. It was released on the day of the wedding, sold over 75.000 copies, topping the pop charts in Holland for several weeks.PENTATONE also takes pride in the production of the Grammy-winning recording of Prokovief's "Peter and the Wolf" in 2004. Coupled with a new composition of "Wolf Tracks", it succeeded in attracting a unique team of narrators: Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev and Sophia Loren. In 2017, John Corigliano's Ghosts of Versailles, part of the American Opera Series, has won multiple awards for the 59th Grammy Awards as Best Opera Recording and Best Engineered Album. PENTATONE's catalogue includes performances of conductors like Marek Janowski, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Jakub Hrusa, Sir Neville Marriner, Yakov Kreizberg, Lawrence Foster, Philippe Herreweghe, Marc Albrecht, Kazuki Yamada, Charles Dutoit, Paavo Järvi, Kent Nagano and Mikhail Pletnev; artists like Arabella Steinbacher, Julia Fischer, Denis Kozhukhin, Martin Helmchen, Nareh Arghamanyan, Mari Kodama, Johannes Moser, Matt Haimovitz, Melody Moore, Lisa Delan, Alice Coote, Elisabeth Kulman, Nikolai Schukoff, Christian Elsner and Lester Lynch; and orchestras like the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Festival Strings Lucerne, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Wiener Symphoniker.

PS Classics

Founded in 2000 by Tommy Krasker & Philip Chaffin, and a four-time Grammy nominee, (for its cast albums of Assassins, Nine: The Musical, Grey Gardens and Company), PS CLASSICS has been profiled in publications such as The New York Times and Variety for its diverse line of solo albums and cast recordings, and its commitment to the past, present and future of the Great American Songbook. Its solo albums range from jazz (Jessica Molaskey: Sitting in Limbo) to folk (Rebecca Luker: Leaving Home), from pop (Jane Olivor: Safe Return) to show music (Christine Andreas: Here's to the Ladies).? Its acclaimed cast albums include the current Broadway production of Xanadu, as well as the recent productions of Sunday in the Park Wit George and A Catered Affair.? PS Classics is distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment.?

Razor & Tie

New York-based Razor & Tie Entertainment is one of the fastest growing independent entertainment companies in the United States and is the parent company of Kidz Bop, LLC. Razor & Tie successfully sells audio and video products through traditional retail distribution, direct response television advertising and ecommerce based websites. Founded by co-owners Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam, Razor & Tie is a vertically-integrated company that encompasses a record company with major label distribution, a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, an experienced marketing, promotion and sales team, a direct marketing operation and a growing database of entertainment consumers.

A Record Label
Razor & Tie's rapidly expanding record label includes such artists and releases as Grammy-nominated global superstar Angelique Kidjo (released in conjunction with Starbucks Entertainment), acclaimed singer/songwriter Dar Williams, metal dynamos All That Remains, rising stars Kelly Sweet and Ryan Shaw, as well as catalog albums from the gold-certified rockers Brand New. The children's music roster is well-established with projects such as the chart-topping platinum-certified music video DVD from award-winning kids' music star Laurie Berkner (also released in conjunction with Starbucks). Razor & Tie's ecommerce website www.musicspace.com is one of the highest-grossing sites in the entertainment business, and is featured in all of Razor & Tie's direct response TV spots. Razor & Tie also markets and sells music and video content via all major digital outlets including iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, eMusic and many others.

KIDZ BOP
KIDZ BOP is the most-popular and most-recognized music brand in the U.S. for kids aged 4-11, selling over 10 Million CDs in 6 years. Featuring today's most popular songs, sung by kids for kids, KIDZ BOP titles have earned nine Gold-certified albums since their debut in 2001. The newly-relaunched KIDZBOP.com has become a fast-growing e-commerce and lifestyle destination, where kids can create, share and watch a variety of content, including games and activities based on music and creativity. In its first month of operation, there have been over 4 million video streams and 650,000 unique visitors. A number of brand extensions have helped launch KIDZ BOP into a certified phenomenon. KIDZ BOP WORLD TOUR, produced in partnership with VEE Corporation, will roll out to over 80 theaters and arenas across the country in Fall 2007. A variety of licensed toys have been released including products from Hasbro's Tiger Electronics and Fisher-Price.

A Music Publishing Company
Razor & Tie Music Publishing distinguishes itself by taking a focused, proactive approach to multi-media song placement, transparent royalty administration and cutting-edge career development. The publishing roster currently includes such writers as Epic recording artist Matisyahu, New West Record's Drive-By Truckers, Curb recording artist and reigning Dove Awards Female Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant. Recent additions include Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Hugh Prestwood, veteran songwriters Stephanie Lewis and Michelle Lewis, as well as emerging British rock band Exile Parade. Headed by industry veteran JW Johnson in New York City, Razor & Tie Music Publishing also has seasoned representatives in the Los Angeles and Nashville markets.

A Compilation and Packaging Specialist
Razor & Tie's music compilations have consistently been the best-selling in the industry. Highlights include aggressively-branded platinum and gold-certified series such as Monsters Of Rock, Monster Ballads, Fired Up and The Buzz.

A Media Buying Company
Founded 10 years ago, R&T Media is a full-service agency that utilizes a wide variety of TV outlets, from cable to network to syndication to broadcast. Razor & Tie purchases the media for its own successful projects and is also retained by leading U.S. companies including Universal Music, Hollywood Records, packaged goods companies such as Elmer's Glue, Sure Deodorant and Airborne (cold remedies) and many others. R&T Media is accomplished at utilizing TV advertising to help build brands for its clients.

A Home Video Company
Razor & Tie has created, produced and marketed some of the most successful home videos in the United States. These include #1 Special Interest and Fitness video Darrin's Dance Grooves (which has sold over 1.25 million home video units), the #1 Fitness video Sweating in the Sprit featuring Donna Richardson Joyner with top gospel music artists (Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams etc.) and Biggie & Tupac, the controversial documentary film by acclaimed director Nick Broomfield, which debuted as a Top 10 DVD. The best-selling "Dummies" series has made the transition to DVD through Razor & Tie's deal with Wiley Publishing including the very successful Golf For Dummies.

Reference Recordings

We at RR believe that how a recording sounds is as important as the music itself. "Prof." Keith O. Johnson, our chief engineer and Technical Director, is a true audio legend, having designed and patented many innovative products in the professional and consumer fields. The RR Sound comes from his singular methods and equipment, hand-built or extensively modified by him. Microphone techniques range from single-point Blumlein to spaced omnis to complex studio mixes, depending on the musical forces and the performing space involved. Our goal is to recreate the sound of real musicians making music in real space.

"Prof." Keith Johnson has spent over 30 years developing a reputation for innovative thinking, technical achievement and musicianship which has elevated him to a position in the audio industry occupied by only a handful of visionaries. His intensive investigation of electronic behavior and acoustic perception have led most recently to his development (with digital engineer Michael Pflaumer) of the revolutionary High Definition Compatible Digital encoding process, produced and marketed by Pacific Microsonics (recently acquired by Microsoft). HDCD is widely considered to be the most accurate recording process ever invented.

For more than 20 years, Keith O. Johnson has served as Technical Director, Recording Engineer and partner in Reference Recordings. His 100-plus recordings for the label have long been considered the standard for high fidelity, and include three GRAMMY award-winners and eight additional GRAMMY nominations.

Reprise

Reprise (pronounced rih-PREEZ) is a record label owned by the Warner Music Group and currently its largest sub-label. The label was founded by Frank Sinatra in 1960 and bought by Warner three years later (they called it a "rescue takeover").

Sinatra's main philosophy when he founded the label was that all artists would be given full creative control of their work, and eventually ultimate ownership of their catalog. This means that most of Reprise's earliest artists now distribute under different labels.

After the takeover, Reprise's new owner, Mo Ostin, would lead the label away from the swing roster that Sinatra had built and into the pop direction for which it became famous (starting with securing rights to The Kinks). The roster throughout the 1970s included Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Tom Lehrer, Neil Young (who's stayed with the label to this day, except during a brief, ill-fated switch to Geffen Records), the 1970's recordings by Frank Zappa, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and the late 1960s to mid 1970s recordings by The Beach Boys.

Fleetwood Mac's internal conflict and dwindling sales led to them being moved up to the parent label, where they would record Rumours. Reprise had struggled to maintain good sales after the early 1970s, and from the mid-1970s to the 1980s, all of its artists had been moved up to Warner. From the late 1980s onward, Ostin has worked to elevate Reprise into the incarnation it's recognized as being today. Most of the label's (many) former artists still distribute their work from that era through the label. Reprise currently holds the place of a secondary parent to Warner, hosting many small labels that Warner can't handle.

Finally, if you've ever had a Warner-licensed song taken down from YouTube, it probably belonged to Reprise - they're very serious about that.

Rounder

In 1970, with only their passionate enthusiasm for American roots music lighting the way, three Cambridge, Massachusetts college students cast their lot into the perilous music industry. "Before founding Rounder, we were basically music fans," says Rounder Records co-founder Ken Irwin. "None of us," echoes co-conspirator Bill Nowlin, "had any record industry experience whatsoever."

"I doubt that 'industry experience' is a term we would have comprehended at the time we started Rounder!," interjects the third member of the Rounder triumvirate, Marian Leighton-Levy.

Yet this untested trio went the distance: from humble beginnings over thirty years ago to what is now America's premier independent record label. From its early interest in rural American music (via fiddle, stringband, blues, and bluegrass recordings) to an expansive catalogue of more than 3,000 titles running the gamut from folk to world, soul to socas, jazz to juju, Cajun to Celtic, and beyond, Rounder has emerged as the preeminent source for vital, uncompromised music of all genres.

Such a vast body of music was born of nothing more than the tenacity of three music lovers whose search for the soul of Americana music did not end at the bottom reaches of industry top forty charts. Their quest eventually led them to the traditional music that flourished in the small towns and open spaces of the American south. Frequenting fiddle conventions, contests, and festivals in the late 1960's, the inspiration hit that they could be more than mere spectators.

"If there was one experience which led to the formation of Rounder," says Ken Irwin, "it would likely be the chance ride I had with Ken and Sherry Davidson when I was hitchhiking back from the Galax Fiddlers' Convention. It was getting dark and Ken and Sherry didn't want us hitchhiking, so they invited us to spend the night with them in Charleston. As it turns out, Ken Davidson had rediscovered both legendary fiddler Clark Kessinger and Billy Cox, who had written 'Sparkling Brown Eyes' and recorded for several labels. The following day, Ken and Sherry took us out to visit with Clark and Billy.

"When I got back from my travels," Irwin continues. "I mentioned my trip to my roommate Bill and pointed out that the Davidsons had started a record label, and they didn't have the resources available to us in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area - like people to write notes and design covers - and I suggested that we start a label. Bill thought it a good idea as well. . ."

"We felt there was a void in record bins," says Marian Leighton-Levy. "An absence, a space where we would have liked to see records by groups and musicians and styles of music that fascinated us most."

And so, the motive of Rounder Records was set. And the name? "I still remember one very early morning," Leighton-Levy explains, "Bill knocked on the apartment door where Ken and I were living at the time and said that he thought 'Rounder' would be a good name for this and asked how did we feel about that. We all became pretty happy - this was the right name, for all that 'rounder' represented folklorically (hobos, travelers) and the [folk music iconoclasts] Holy Modal Rounders, and record shapes. . . on and on . . . round and round."

Their premiere release in 1971, a collection of songs featuring 76-year-old banjoist George Pegram, was the first stone in what was to be a mighty wall of an eclectic empire. For - then as now - Rounder Records served many ends. In addition to releasing their own releases, the Rounders sold roots recordings from numerous labels, ran a record distributor, and a operated a popular mail-order company.

Foremost, though, were the musical treasures they were uncovering. Soon their releases were finding popularity amongst fans like themselves, and the label began to become self-sufficient. "Our first Norman Blake record in 1972 was a very popular album," says Bill Nowlin, "and secured us real credibility in country circles. Within the next few years, there were some very key releases that we can look back on as major milestones in our development - the first J. D. Crowe and the New South album, the first George Thorogood and the Destroyers album, and so forth. . . "

It was the fiery blues-rock stylings of Thorogood - which, while pumped up with electricity, were rooted in the sincerity and integrity that marks all Rounder artists - that put Rounder on the map internationally. His first and second Rounder albums sold over 500,000 copies each in the late 1970's, a rare feat for an independent record label of any era. With the success of Thorogood, Rounder was afforded the capital to expand both its artist roster and operations budget. All the while, releasing classic albums by J.D. Crowe and the New South (which featured, at various junctures, future superstars Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs), Ted Hawkins, Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, D.L. Menard, and dozens of others.

As Rounder grew as a company, it demonstrated a rare ability to do what few labels - major or independent - can do: nurture and develop artists' careers over the course of a series of albums. After a few self-released titles, folk singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith signed onto Rounder's folk division, Philo Records in 1984. Her first Philo release, Once in a Very Blue Moon, was Griffith's first fully-formed artistic statement, an album that blended a vast musical palette (bluegrass, country, folk, blues, rockabilly, and pop all colliding) with her witty, compassionate observations. Via diligent touring, constant airplay on both commercial country and public radio, a video on Country Music Television, and a strong reputation in the press, Griffith emerged as one of the breakout folk artists of the eighties - a category that also included such artists as Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.

The success of Once in a Very Blue Moon and its successor Last of the True Believers (". . .her peak as a songwriter. . ." says the All Music Guide) led to Griffith becoming an established artist with a strong following the world over. While she eventually signed with MCA, her Rounder/Philo records continue to sell well to this day, and stand as benchmarks upon which her entire career was built.

Griffith's departure coincided with the appearance of a fourteen year-old fiddler from Champaign, Illinois. Alison Krauss released her first album in 1987 (Rounder's Too Late To Cry), and began to cultivate an enviable reputation on the bluegrass/Americana scene. By the time of her exquisite 1992 release Every Time You Say Goodbye, Krauss began flirting with the ever more exclusive mainstream country audience. She broke through at last with the release of Now That I've Found You: A Collection, a compilation of material both old and new that demonstrated Krauss's astonishing maturation from young fiddle phenomenon to a brilliant, multifaceted singer, musician, and bandleader. Her version of Keith Whitley's "When You Say Nothing At All" launched her onto the country charts, and Now That I Found You became Rounder's first platinum (and eventually double-platinum) album, with sales well over the one million mark.

Krauss's relationship with Rounder continues to flourish, resulting in album after album of evocative music unbound by constraints of genre or formula. While such stars as Krauss, the Cowboy Junkies, emerging Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore call Rounder home these days, Rounder also stays true to its original vision of illuminating the roots of contemporary music and releasing records that no other label would dare. The Alan Lomax collection, a series of over 100 CDs documenting innumerable traditional musics from Appalachia to Yugoslavia, is one such project. The ambitious Anthology of World Music series, joint releases with the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture, and Rounder's unending commitment to unsung folk, bluegrass, country, old-time, blues, and indefinable artists the world over maintain that spirit first born in a Cambridge, Massachusetts apartment three decades ago.

Rounder Records' search for both meaningful music and an appreciative audience for it has spanned many media formats over its thirty year existence. LPs, eight-tracks, cassettes, and CDs have all been pieces of the Rounder puzzle. With the rapid expansion of electronic media and the internet, Rounder has found a new outlet for its artists: www.rounderradio.com, an online radio station that plays five channels of commercial-free roots music 24-hours a day. It is an endeavor that speaks both to Rounder's continuing spirit of adventure and its substantial growth as a company.

"Rounder has certainly grown as a business enterprise," observes founder Bill Nowlin, "from 3 friends all sharing a living and working space to around 120 or so people working together as a real business. The growth has largely been organic, though, and the sense of purpose - the mission - which was the reason for founding Rounder, still remains at its core and is shared by most of the key people at today's Rounder."

"Yes - over the years we have become more professional about the business," agrees Ken Irwin, "while retaining our love of the music which got us started. The music and the artists who produce it are still our major focus and our reason for existing."

Despite the massive growth that Rounder has achieved, the three original founders still maintain an active role in Rounder's operations. Whether going over figures in the office; mastering, mixing, or producing albums; or taking to the road to seek out new talent, Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton-Levy, and Bill Nowlin remain at the center of it all. "The reason we remain involved," says Nowlin, "is that Rounder has held true to its overriding ideal - to present good and even important music and to try to spread the word about the music to the broadest audience we can. That remains energizing. We feel we are doing work of real value, truly contributing something of real significance to the broader culture."

It is a vision shared, respected, and appreciated by music lovers around the globe, and doubtlessly a vital influence on the vast independent music community that has sprung up since Rounder's founding over thirty years ago. "The lasting inspiration from Rounder," summarizes Marian Leighton-Levy, "lies in its commitment to good music and doing the best job we can for the artists we represent."

Sh-K-Boom

ABOUT GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS:

It is a standing practice in the theatre that a ghost light ? a floor lamp holding a single bare light bulb ? be lit on stage after everyone has left for the night, so that the theatre never goes dark.? In the same spirit, Ghostlight Records, created by Sh-K-Boom co-founders Kurt Deutsch and Sherie Rene Scott, ensures that music of the theatre by composers old and new will always be enjoyed.? Ghostlight Records honors the past while shining a light toward the future.? Sh-K-Boom Records was founded by Kurt Deutsch in 2000 with the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theatre.? The label is committed to giving a voice to the new generation of Broadway composers and stars.? Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight was recently honored with three 2006 Grammy Award nominations for Best Musical Show Album: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, HAIR (The Actors' Fund Of America Benefit Recording) and THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE.? Its most recent recordings are SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE (March 7, 2006) and SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED (March 21, 2006).? Other recent cast albums include THE LAST 5 YEARS by Jason Robert Brown and DEBBIE DOES DALLAS, based on the classic film.? SH-K-BOOM has released solo recordings by three of Broadway's biggest stars: Alice Ripley's EVERYTHING'S FINE, Adam Pascal's MODEL PRISONER and Sherie Rene Scott's SHERIE REN?... MEN I'VE HAD.? Sh-K-Boom Records is distributed by Razor & Tie Entertainment.

SilverWave Records

Silver Wave Records has been a leading independent music label for Native American, World, and New Age music since 1986. Our mission is to present quality innovative music to the world while being a positive force in people's lives. We want to be a service to our customers, artists, employees, and colleagues, and treat all people with integrity and respect. We feel blessed to be able to earn our living in this endeavor and strive to give back to those in need and to our planet. We hope to touch people on a deep level, instill a sense of peace in all who listen and, in that, help spread peace throughout the world.

Over the years Silver Wave Recordings have benefited the following organizations: Greenpeace, United Nations Enviornment Program, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Children's Defense Fund, Native American Rights Fund, The Pineridge Reservation, The Rosebud Reservation, Second Harvest, Childreach, National Wildlife Federation, U'wa Defense Project, The World Peace Prayer Society and The People of the Standing Stone.

Thank you to all the listeners who have written to share their stories of how this music has given them great joy, transformed their lives, healed them, and helped them through difficult times; inspired them to open their hearts, be more creative, and love more deeply. May you always find peace.

Our History
Silver Wave Records was founded in 1986 in Boulder, Colorado with the goal of taking new age music to a wider audience. We sought to expand the boundaries and perceptions of new age music by adding more upbeat, dynamic, and worldly sounds. Jazziz magazine called Silver Wave "the premier label for music too interesting to be called new age", and we were on the cutting edge of then new concepts such as smooth jazz, instrumental Christmas albums, theme compilations, and world lullaby collections. Danny Heines, Steve Haun, Davol, Fowler & Branca, and many others were all leading the way in creating this exciting new music.

Then in 1990, Silver Wave began paving the way for what became, and still is, the heart of our catalog: Contemporary Native American Music. Beginning with the pioneering work of Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai, including the classic MIGRATION and the HOW THE WEST WAS LOST series, the label now represents the top Native Artists in the genre, and has earned a multitude of awards and critical acclaim along the way.

The 'Silver Wave sound' often defies categorization by offering unique cross-cultural collaborations and instrumental hybrids combined with consistently high-quality production and sound integrity.

The Silver Wave music catalog is now 60+ titles strong with offerings from over 20 artists including: Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai, Joanne Shenandoah, Alice Gomez, Mary Youngblood, Robert Mirabal, Lawrence Laughing, Joy Harjo & Poetic Justice, Trio Globo (featuring Eugene Friesen, Howard Levy and Glen Velez), Tom Wasinger and more.

To purchase Silver Wave releases, you may order directly from us, visit a music store in your area or visit an online music retailer. For help locating retailers in your area that carry our music, please call us at 303-443-5617.

We want to hear from you! We welcome all comments, inquiries and questions. Please email us to join our e-mail list for information on new releases, concerts in your area, and special sales at your local retailers!

Sono Luminus

Sono Luminus, was created in 1995 when Sandy Lerner and Len Bosack, founders of Cisco Systems, a top supplier of networking tools for the Internet?decided that their expertise in digital signal processing, computational mathematics and physics would enable them to bring a new level of recording fidelity to music. Drawing upon their expertise in digital technologies as well as their love of music, they applied their experiences to realize a life-long dream: to develop and create a new paradigm for recorded sound, dedicated to the realization of true?Performance Fidelity. To achieve this, Sono Luminus adopted a simple philosophy of "less is more." Allowing for natural ambient acoustics, recorded dry, to determine optimal microphone placement, Sono Luminus became a first choice for acoustic, classical and early music artists and ensembles.?

In 2005, after over a decade of producing critically acclaimed recordings for several major and independent labels, Sono Luminus decided to enter the market under its own masthead. The acquisition of the Dorian catalogue provided Sono Luminus with an extraordinary opportunity to build upon past accomplishments and establish new standards of excellence. The new company, operating as Sono Luminus benefits not only from the proven entrepreneurial expertise of Sono Luminus founders Sandy Lerner and Len Bosack but has assembled a distinguished team of the brightest innovative newcomers to the Engineering and Creative sides of the company as well as the top industry veterans, who demonstrate their commitment to excellence in every project.?

Some of the original Dorian catalogue will once again be made available as part of the competitively priced Best of Dorian series (also to be made available as downloads). This new series will feature newly re-mastered re-releases of the best-selling artists, ensembles and multi-volume series, attractively presented in specially-priced box sets. The Dorian legacy will be given further exposure through the development of themed anthologies designed to target Special Market Sales (i.e. thematic compilations, Children's products, single-composer editions, artist's profile series and others.) Future releases will also include audiophile recordings of traditional and acoustic jazz. ?

Throughout its independent existence, the Dorian label enjoyed an enviable reputation with classical music aficionados and audiophiles. Known for their adventurous programming (they never made a recording of a Beethoven Symphony?), showcasing many outstanding performers and ensembles, attractive, easily recognizable packaging and no small amount of marketing savvy (the label's all-time best-seller, "The Art of the Bawdy Song" with the Baltimore Consort came packaged with a "Parental Warning" sticker), Dorian was clearly one of America's premiere classical music labels.???

Since the launch of the Sono Luminus imprint in 2005, the new label has continued that reputation for excellence, receiving the Audio Engineering Society's Award of Excellence in High Resolution Audio (2007), and TWO GRAMMY ? Nominations; The Smithsonian Chamber Players nominated for Best Small Ensemble in the 50th GRAMMY ? Awards, and Ronn McFarlane for Best Classical Crossover album in the 51st GRAMMY ? Awards. And most recently, winner of the 53rd GRAMMY? Award for Best Engineered Classical Album for "Quincy Porter: The Complete Viola Works."

Sony - Masterworks Broadway

Masterworks Broadway is a record label created by the consolidation of Sony Music Entertainment's Broadway theatre music divisions, Columbia Broadway Masterworks and RCA Victor Records' Broadway series. Masterworks Broadway's recent releases include the revival new cast recording of South Pacific (2008), Avenue Q (2003), Hairspray (2002) and Chicago (1997). The record label's chief competitors are Angel Broadway, owned by UMG and Decca Broadway, which is also owned by Universal Music Group.

Sony Legacy

About Legacy
Your favorite artists
Their greatest music

Not just reissued... reimagined

Legacy Recordings, the Grammy Award-winning division at Sony Music founded in 1990, is charged with the task of revisiting, restoring and enhancing one of the world's greatest music catalogs (over 100 years deep!). The label has become an industry leader, and critical and fan favorite, by taking that rich and diverse music to never-before imagined or attained levels of listening pleasure.

The foundation and pride of any serious music lover's collection, our vast catalog of all-time classic albums, as well as our extensive catalog of rare and fabled music compilations represent a history of music in America that is second to none. From Robert Johnson to Frank Sinatra, Mahalia Jackson, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Santana and The Clash, Legacy is home to all the best in classic and rare pop, rock, jazz, blues, folk, rhythm and blues, gospel, country, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, ethnic, world music, comedy and more. [Full Catalog]

The Artists

The artists on Legacy are some of the most influential of all time. Without their vision, there'd be nothing to hear.

The Sony Music Archive comprises deep (and in some cases complete) recorded holdings on Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Santana, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Mahalia Jackson, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Dave Brubeck, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers, Aerosmith, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Peter Tosh, and hundreds of others. [Complete Artist Listing]

The Music

Each and every gem you'll find proudly bearing the Legacy name has been mined from the massive archive of recordings housed in the Columbia, Epic and associated labels' vaults, including Philadelphia International, OKeh, ARC, Vocalion, and Brunswick, as well as such acquired imprints CTI, Ode and more.

We at Legacy take great pride in every title we release. Each selection, from a reissue of a classic album to an extensive career retrospective, is given the high quality treatment worthy of the Legacy name. We are privileged to work with award-winning and critically-acclaimed producers and musicologists who work tirelessly to discover previously unreleased music, insuring as complete and compelling a package as possible. By combining state-of-the-art remastering technology with comprehensive liner notes, track information and rare and historic photos, the Legacy name and moniker have become synonymous with musical excellence. Our work is recognized by critics and fans alike as top notch.?
 

Sony Masterworks

SonyBMG Masterworks is a record label. It is the result of a "restructuring" of Sony BMG Music Entertainment's classical music division. Its formation marked the merger of the Sony Classical and BMG Classics (including RCA Red Seal) product lines. Gilbert Hetherwick is the president of the label, displacing Peter Gelb who was the head of Sony Classical before the merger. Hetherwick claimed (as of 2005) the label may reissue between one hundred and two hundred historical recordings per year. The label owns rights to recordings dating from the 20th century and late 19th century, including ones featuring Fritz Reiner, Arthur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, and Pl?cido Domingo, as well as from more recent performers such as Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell.

Steinway Records

The Steinway & Sons label highlights stars from Steinway's Concert & Artist program performing on exceptional Steinway grand pianos. Each of the planned four releases per year will feature a repertoire with broad appeal. "The opportunity to bring the talents of Steinway Artists to the public through new recordings, impeccably produced and engineered, has always been an exciting concept for us at Steinway & Sons," said Ron Losby, President, Steinway & Sons – Americas. "We are thrilled with the early success of this new venture." Recordings on the Steinway & Sons label are produced by ArkivMusic, LLC, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc., and can be purchased at ArkivMusic.com, Amazon.com, iTunes and other fine music retailers. Naxos of America is the exclusive wholesale distributor for the label.

About ArkivMusic
ArkivMusic, The Source for Classical Music (http://www.arkivmusic.com) is an online retailer of classical music. ArkivMusic has the largest selection of classical music recordings in the U.S., with access to over 90,000 titles from over 1,500 labels, including over 9,000 titles in its ArkivCD reissue program of manufacturing previously out-of-print recordings on a just-in-time basis.

Summit

Summit Records is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s with the goal of providing quality, world-class musicians a platform to get their music to the public and be treated fairly in the process. That mission really has not changed. Although the marketplace has presented many new challenges, including hundreds of new record labels and alternative ways to get music to you, Summit Records remains committed to quality musicianship, treating artists with the respect they deserve, and providing the customer with a premium product - with "five-star" service of course.

So, what next? We continue to be committed to putting out some of the very best music in the marketplace from the very best musicians - with top-notch service. Every title in the catalogue is available and in our warehouse right here in Arizona, and if you order from us, it'll normally be shipped to you within a day of receiving your order...in other words, you'll get it quickly. If you buy it in a record store or on another on-line site, no problem - we just want you to enjoy the music!
So, check out the catalogue...you're bound to like something in it! And Much Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions, feel free to email us: sales@summitrecords.com

Sunnyside Records

A girl in a sailor dress skips rope. She's pretty, she's free, she's having fun. She's the logo for Sunnyside Records. Founder Francois Zalacain's friend Chris Coffey discovered her on a rubber stamp in a Greenwich Village shop 21 years ago. "It says everything we want to say. Music is about bouncing, dancing. And my wife liked it."

With no binding contracts, no specific mission, and an acceptance of any jazz style, Sunnyside is a relaxed independent label. We simply release music that we like, from a flirtatious disc of boleros from Spanish singer Martirio, to an eloquent disc from pianist Laurent Coq. We also license albums from European labels that otherwise would not be available in the United States.

Zalacain started the company in 1982 after a career at IBM.? He met pianist Harold Danko one night at the Village Vanguard and a friendship ensued. When Danko had the idea to make a duo disc with bassist Rufus Reid, Zalacain rented Penthouse Recordings studio overlooking the East river and recorded the album. Soon after he recorded Kirk Lightsey playing solo piano. A Lee Konitz album followed, and without meaning to, Zalacain had established a record label. Two decades later, hundreds of CDs make up Sunnyside's catalog.

Sunnyside's relationship with their artists is more like an affair than a marriage, Zalacain explained. "They stay with us because they like to stay." Some artists have been with the label for many years. And others are just starting out the jazz life. Usually Sunnyside finds new artists through their current ones. "It happens the way you make friends," he said. "A friend invites you to his house - you make a new friend."

Aside from good music, Sunnyside looks for a unique voice. "That's what you're looking for," said Zalacain. "Why is a jazz singer going to attract your ear? Because she has something unique. It's the same with instrumentalists."

The biggest thrill so far came in 2003 when Brazilian singer Luciana Souza's album Brazilian Duos was nominated for a Grammy. "The nomination was very surprising, because it was a record of Brazilian songs. She sang in Portuguese. To be nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album was a happy surprise," Zalacain said.

The crew went to Madison Square Garden for the event and waited for three hours for the Jazz Vocal Album category. Diana Krall won, as the group had expected, so they set off for a nice dinner at the trendy, French-Thai restaurant, Vong. When they arrived, the host asked them where they had come from. They told him they had been at the Grammy Awards. He said "My father was a musician." "He was the son of Lee Morgan!" exclaimed Zalacain. "We didn't win the Grammy but we met the son of Lee Morgan that night."

. With a larger distribution, first Ryko in 2002 and all the electronic stores , the label added many licenses to its catalog, most of them coming from France. Sunnyside also licenses albums from the Spanish label Karonte. " I was surprised to find that there is a taste in the U.S. for this music," Zalacain said. "There is a taste for not only music recorded here but also music from other places."

While many of Sunnyside's own artists bring influences from their native lands to their music, most of them currently live in New York. "Nationality has no relevance, but we like them to live here," he said. "It's difficult to have an affair with people not in your city."

Thirsty Ear

Established in the late 70s as an independent marketing company, Thirsty Ear pioneered the concept of specialized marketing to the yet-unnamed alternative music world in the U.S. As such, Thirsty Ear was hired to implement campaigns in this new area for virtually every major label, working with such now-legendary artists as David Bowie, The Talking Heads and The Police, among many others.


In the mid 80s, Thirsty Ear partnered with English labels 4AD and Beggars Banquet and established their US operations out of Thirsty Ear's offices. The Beggars Banquet alliance proved fruitful and continued for ten years, firmly establishing them as one of the premier English independent labels in America. In 1990, Thirsty Ear made its emergence as a record label of its own, quickly accelerating its position and becoming one of the top alternative independent labels within the U.S. music industry.

A unique partnership with 2.13.61 Records, the label founded by punk legend Henry Rollins, led unexpectedly to Thirsty Ear's relationship with jazz iconoclast Matthew Shipp. Shipp would go on to become the Artistic Director of a new line of recordings named the Blue Series. The concept of the Blue Series was born from Thirsty Ear's desire to marry jazz's many languages into a cogent new one and perhaps shake up what was, and to a certain extent still is, a stagnant musical climate.

Since its beginning in 2000, the story of the Blue Series has been one of focused, organic evolution. From free jazz masters, legends in their own time, to some of the most innovative producers working in the world of modern hip-hop and electronic music, the Blue Series has come to encompass some of the most exciting developments in creative music since the turn of the new millennium. Featuring such present-day jazz legends as William Parker, Tim Berne, David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp, and augmented by DJ Spooky, U.K. electronica titans Spring Heel Jack, and hip-hop innovators El-P and Antipop Consortium (to name just a few,) the Blue Series acknowledges jazz's luminescent past without allowing it to smother its artists' desires to pave new ground.

Blue Series Quotes




The Blue Series, has been one of the most innovative things to come around in jazz, or any music, of late. -Newsweek.com

Blue Series artists consistently deliver world-class performances that rarely fail to push the creative envelope- JAZZIZ

Thirsty Ear's Blue Series...has carved a niche for themselves as instantly recognizable as '60s Blue Note or '70s ECM. -Village Voice

Thirsty Ear Records Blue Series is reclaiming the youthful, intellectual challenge of jazz, finding new forms and audiences- LA Times

...a blueprint for the shape of jazz to come. -Rollingstone.com

The Blue Series continues to produce some of the very best music in jazz. These recordings are of rare quality; the momentum of this important series continues to build. -CMJ 2003 Year in Jazz

Credit (The Blue Series) for respecting Jazz's storied past, while remaining dedicated to pushing its boundaries into the future. Billboard

The Blue Series, modern jazz's consistent must-hear- Launch/Yahoo!

Thirsty Ear is firm in their conviction that jazz is not dead and to prove it, they created the Blue Series- Relix

Inarguably the most exciting, forward-thinking jazz label in the United States- All Music Guide

Thirsty Ear's Blue Series is dedicated to expanding and possibly eradicating the boundaries of jazz and hell if it doesn't do just that.- The Austin Chronicle

The purpose of Thirsty Ear's Blue Series is to suggest answers to the question of what jazz is. The results have been remarkable and compelling. - The Wire UK

The Blue Series (is) without doubt the most innovative series of recordings to be found under the jazz umbrella for decades - Jazz Review UK

Thirsty Ear is one of the most idiosyncratic and adventurous imprints in contemporary music. - Jazzwise UK

If you have forgotten what jazz is, Thirsty Ear will teach you -De:Bug (Germany)

The Blue Note of the next Millennium- Liberation (France)

Friendly Links

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Verve

Verve Records, now the Verve Music Group?is an American Jazz record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels: Norgran Records and Clef Records (founded 1953) and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.

History
The Verve catalog grew throughout the 1950s and 1960s to include most of the major figures in jazz, though Granz tended to record established artists, sometimes in decline, rather than new talent. It also recognized the potential of comedy albums, producing Spike Jones' first LP, Dinner Music For People Who Aren't Very Hungry in 1956 and several best-selling albums featuring live performances by Shelley Berman beginning in 1960.

Granz sold Verve to MGM in 1961 for $3 million. Creed Taylor was appointed as producer, and adopted a more commercial approach, cancelling several contracts. Taylor brought the bossa nova to America with the Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd LP Jazz Samba as well as Getz/Gilberto. Several arrangers of note worked for the Verve label too in the 1960s, including Claus Ogerman and Oliver Nelson. Claus Ogerman, by his own admission in Gene Lees' Jazzletter publication, arranged some 60-70 albums for Verve under Creed Taylor's direction from 1963-1967.[1]

Shortly before leaving Verve in 1967, Taylor supervised the creation of a folk music subsidiary named Verve Folkways (later renamed Verve Forecast) by Verve executive Jerry Schoenbaum. But by now, new recordings began to decline & would cease altogether in the early 1970s.

In the seventies, the label became part of the PolyGram label group, at this point incorporating the Mercury/EmArcy jazz catalog, which Philips, part owners of PolyGram had earlier acquired. Verve Records became the Verve Music Group after PolyGram was merged with Seagram's Universal Music Group in 1998. The jazz holdings from the merged companies were folded into this sub-group.

The label was revived in the mid-1980s for new releases. Yet a more important focus for the new Verve Records was the reissuing of its back catalogue, in ever more imaginative ways. The "Verve By Request" label began to reissue many original Verve bossa nova titles on CD in the late 1990s, and the Elite series revived many obscure albums which had languished for many years.

When Universal and Polygram merged in 1998. Verve's holdings were merged with Universal's GRP Recording Company to became Verve Music Group. This was run by producer Tommy LiPuma. Ron Goldstein was named President of the merged companies.

Since 2002, the label has released a series of Verve Remixed compilation discs where classic tracks by Verve artists are remixed by contemporary electronic music DJs. By the mid-2000s, there was an extensive "Verve Vault" section on iTunes.

In December 2006 parent company Universal Music Group sacked 85% of the staff, reduced the artist roster, and shifted the catalog over to its UME division.

Some of the record labels currently in the Verve Music Group.
EmArcy Records
Impulse! Records
GRP Records
Commodore Records
Coral Records
Bet-Car Records
Blue Thumb Records
Decca Records (Its jazz holdings only and Decca's pre-1957 Brunswick Records jazz catalogue.)
Verve Forecast

?List of early Verve artists
Instrumentalists
Coleman Hawkins
Charlie Parker
Count Basie
Duke Ellington
Oscar Peterson
Dizzy Gillespie
Bud Powell
Lester Young
Kid Ory
Stan Getz
Ben Webster
Bill Evans
Roy Eldridge
Gerry Mulligan
Buddy Rich
Gene Krupa
Illinois Jacquet
Art Tatum
Walter Wanderley
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Kai Winding
Teddy Wilson
Michael Brecker
Kenny Burrell

Vocalists
Bing Crosby
Ella Fitzgerald
Astrud Gilberto
Billie Holiday
Betty Carter
Linda Ronstadt
Natalie Cole
Blossom Dearie
Anita O'Day
Carmen McRae
Nina Simone
Mel Torm?
Sally Kellerman
Diana Krall
Sarah Vaughan
Joe Williams
Lizz Wright
Queen Latifah

Others
Brazilian Girls
Caravan
Friend & Lover (Verve Forecast)
Tim Hardin
The Hombres (Verve Forecast)
Janis Ian
Bob Lind (Verve Folkways)
The Mothers of Invention
Ricky Nelson
The Righteous Brothers
Talk Talk
The Velvet Underground
Frank Zappa

Verve Forecast

Verve Forecast Records is a record label specializing in cutting-edge material, initially used in 1967 by Verve Records and since revived twice.

Verve Forecast was initially created by Verve executive Jerry Schoenbaum as Verve Folkways Records, founded in 1964 in association with Folkways Records owner Moe Asch.

Originally a folk music label, Verve Forecast challenged[according to whom?] standard record industry practice by developing long term careers instead of generating hit records.[citation needed] To broaden the label's appeal, the label changed its name from Verve Folkways to Verve Forecast in 1967.

Verve Forecast attracted a new generation of talent which included The Blues Project, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Janis Ian, Laura Nyro, Jim and Jean, Friend & Lover, Caravan, The Hombres and Bob Lind. Established folk music artists included Odetta, Street, Dave Van Ronk and The New Lost City Ramblers along with blues artists John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lead Belly and James Cotton.

The label fell victim to corporate shuffles in the early 1970s, around the time Verve parent MGM Records was sold to PolyGram - at that point, the original catalog of Verve Forecast was incorporated into that of Polydor Records.

The Verve Forecast label was revived for smooth jazz releases in the 1990s, with artists such as Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber, and Will Downing recording for the label. The revived label also fell to corporate restructuring when PolyGram was merged into Universal Music Group in the late 1990s; the imprint was deactivated with its smooth jazz artists being transferred to GRP Records.

Verve Forecast was brought back in 2004 to handle the Verve Music Group's non-jazz talent, replacing the revived Blue Thumb Records.

Today's artist roster includes Aqualung, Avant, Sunshine Anderson, Beast, Blues Traveler, Brazilian Girls, The Bridges, Jessie Baylin, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, Dion, John Fogerty, Jackie Greene, Guillemots, Daryl Hall, Jesse Harris, Ledisi, Rhett Miller, Ollabelle, Susan Tedeschi, Teddy Thompson, Kate Walsh, Lucy Woodward, Lizz Wright and Yoav. Some of these artists recorded for other Universal-owned labels in the past, including Avant (MCA and Geffen) and Blues Traveler (A&M).

Chris Isaak has more recently joined Verve Forecast and his most recent recording was released on October 18, 2011.

Virgin Classics

Virgin Classics was a record label founded in 1988 as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The unit, along with EMI Classics, was acquired by Universal Music in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Group, however the terms of the European Commission's September 2012 approval of the takeover requires divestment of the classical labels which were sold on 7 February 2013 to Warner Music Group. The European Union approved the deal on May 2013. Warner Music's Warner Classics unit absorbed the Virgin Classics artists roster and catalogue into Erato Records but lost the rights to use either EMI or Virgin names.

Warner Classics

Warner Classics, born from the successive acquisition of the Teldec, Erato, EMI Classics and Virgin Classics labels, now holds a special place in the history of recorded music. This new banner unites the iconic Maria Callas, Herbert von Karajan and Yehudi Menuhin with the next generation of legends (Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Samson François among them) and brings together the main part of recorded output by artists as diverse as Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Barenboim, Maxim Vengerov and Maurice André.

Under the leadership of Alain Lanceron, Warner Classics is committed to continued growth as a preeminent classical company, preserving this illustrious musical heritage while remaining active in the field of new recordings. With its core team based in Paris, this new structure will see today's leading artists - Alison Balsom, Angela Gheorghiu, Sir Simon Rattle, Philippe Jaroussky, Alexandre Tharaud and Natalie Dessay - joined by major new signings, cementing its position as an authority in classical music production today and developing its activities under two international labels, each with its own distinctive identity: Warner Classics and the revived Erato.