Wikipedia

Universal Records (1995−2006)

(Redirected fromUniversal Records (defunct record label))
For its parent corporation, seeUniversal Music Group.

Universal Recordswas arecord labelowned byUniversal Music Groupand operated as part of theUniversal Motown Republic Group.The label has been dormant since 2006, due toUniversal MotownandUniversal Republic Recordsbeing formed and taking all of the artists from it. Those labels were eventually combined to form the latest iteration ofRepublic Records.

Universal Records
Parent companyUniversal Music Group
Founded1995;29 years ago(1995)(asRising Tide Records)
Founder
StatusInactive
Distributor(s)
GenreVarious
Country of originU.S.
LocationNew York City,New York,U.S.

As of 2023, the label remains dormant but has been credited as a copyright-holder under a few present-day releases.

History

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Founded in 1995 asRising Tide Records,the label would ultimately begin to thrive the following year when its name was changed to Universal Records to complement the branding overhaul of theUniversal Studiosstructure sinceMCA Inc.was purchased fromMatsushita Electric (now Panasonic)bySeagram.[1][2][3]The label, which is actually thesecondincarnation (the firstUniversal Recordswas a short-lived underground imprint ofMCA Recordsthat existed from 1988 to 1989)[citation needed]was created by formerUniversal Music Groupchairman and CEODoug MorrisandDaniel Glass(founder ofGlassnote Records), who became its president.

In 1996, to complement the MCA renaming into Universal, MCA Music Entertainment Group was also rebranded into what is known today asUniversal Music Group.[4]With that in place, Universal Records was to operate under the newly renamed UMG banner.[5]

Universal Records had success in breaking new artists, including the multi-platinum debut ofErykah Badu,Billie Myers,Goldfinger,Akonand theLost Boyz.Glass formed relationships with independent record labels such as Kedar Entertainment and Mojo Records.[citation needed]Universal also brought in and took overUptown Recordsfollowing founderAndre Harrell's departure. FollowingHeavy D's dropping from the imprint in 1997, Universal folded Uptown in 1999.[6]

New Orleans, Louisianabased record companyCash Money Records,led byRonald "Slim" WilliamsandBryan "Baby/Birdman" Williams,signed a three-year $30 million distribution deal with Universal Records in March 1998.[7][8][9]Under the terms of the deal, the Williams were given a $3 million advance each year and a credit of $1.5 million for each of the up to six artists that they had at the time. After recouping, Universal Records would retain 15% of profits from album sales, while Cash Money retained 85% as well as ownership of all master recordings.[10]Cash Money's first success under Universal wasJuvenile's November 1998 release,400 Degreez.The album peaked at number nine on theBillboard200and would ultimately go on to be certified quadruple platinum in the United States.[11]Cash Money and Universal also launchedLil Wayne's career with his November 1999 albumTha Block Is Hot,which was a top threeBillboard200 album and later certified platinum in America.[12]

On December 10, 1998, Seagram completed its seven-month $10.6 billion plan to acquirePolyGram,merging its music division of labels with UMG, helping both divisions combine operations together under the biggest music recording company.[13][14][15]OnNew Year's Eve1998, Universal Records was pooled together with then-PolyGram labelMotown Recordsand fellow MCA labelRepublic Recordsto formUniversal Motown Republic Group;[16]Motown was previously brought under UMG during its preceding days as MCA Inc. It was a subsidiary ofMCA Recordsand minority-owned by Boston Ventures until 1991.[17]To start theNew Yearin 1999, Universal Motown Republic Group became one of the three new music units under UMG alongsideInterscope Geffen A&M RecordsandThe Island Def Jam Music Group.[18]

In 2001, after the absorption ofPriority RecordsintoEMI,[19]No Limit Recordswas signed a distribution deal with Universal and renamed "The New No Limit".[20]However, this deal failed as various releases byMaster P,Romeo,504 BoyzandChoppadid not meet commercial expectations. No Limit cut ties with Universal in 2004, a year after filing for bankruptcy.[21]

Bad Boy Entertainment,founded bySean "P. Diddy" Combs,signed a three-year marketing and distribution deal with Universal Records in February 2003, following its departure fromArista Records.[22][23][24]Universal and Bad Boy releasedDa Band's September 2003 album,Too Hot for TV.The album was ultimately certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America.[25]Albums under this deal that followed include thesoundtracktoBad Boys II,Loon'sself-titled album,Carl Thomas'Let's Talk About It,Mario Winans'Hurt No MoreandNew Edition'sOne Love.In 2005, Bad Boy switched distribution from Universal toAtlantic Recordsbefore the deal could be fulfilled.[26][27]

The label later had more success with acts like3 Doors Down,98 Degrees,Chamillionaire,Godsmack,Mushroomhead,Flaw,Hatebreed,Lifer,Jack Johnson,Juvenile,Nelly,Big Sha,Lil Wayne,andMika.In the summer of 2004, Universal had a big success withTerror Squad's single, "Lean Back",which debuted at number one on theBillboardHot 100that August.[28][29]

By 2005, Universal was reaching its downfall, even though Cash Money kept its prophecy leading, but its success was short-lived. On New Year's Eve 2005, Universal Records was merged with Republic Records to become Universal Republic Records.[30]Motown (as a standalone label) was renamedUniversal Motown Records.[31]Therefore, artists under Motown, as well as hip hop and R&B acts under Universal were combined together under Universal Motown, with the rest being transferred to Universal Republic, which would later be reverted back to Republic Records in 2012,[30]a year after Universal Motown was changed back to Motown, which itself would be moved to Island Def Jam.[32]As a result, the Universal Motown Republic Group was disbanded in the summer of 2011 during a reorganization at Universal Music Group,[33]which was under the leadership ofLucian Grainge.[34]

It was also the distributor ofPolydorandIsland UKin the United States. Distribution switched toInterscope Geffen A&M RecordsandRepublic Recordsrespectively after the label's dissolution. Island's operation in the United Kingdom, in 2013, would be absorbed intoVirgin EMI Records,which, itself, would be rebranded in 2020 asEMI Records,[35][36][37]taking over distribution for Republic UK.

As of December 2023,Universal Records is currently inactive as its artists would later be drafted to Republic Records. Motown is currently under theInterscope Capitol Labels Group,[38]which it has been a part of since 2014 following another UMG disbandment of the Island Def Jam Music Group.[39]Therefore, reissues of releases under the Universal Records, Universal Republic or Universal Motown names will be handled by Republic and Motown respectively on behalf ofUniversal Music Enterprises.

There have been unrelated labels inEuropeand thePhilippines,taking the "Universal Records" name. Because of an unrelated label in the Philippines owning the rights to theUniversal Recordsname in that country, parent companyUniversal Music Groupdid business there as MCA Music, Inc., using UMG'sformer name.In 2021, MCA Music was renamedUMG Philippines.[citation needed]

Affiliated labels

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Affiliated labels included Celtic Heartbeat Records, co-founded by U2 managerPaul McGuinness.[40][41]formerly affiliated withAtlantic Records,andUniversal Motown Republic Group(UMRG).Bill Whelan'sRiverdancewas Celtic Heartbeat's first album to sell more than a million copies.[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Media Giants - Vivendi Universal | Merchants Of Cool | FRONTLINE | PBS".www.pbs.org.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  2. ^Fabrikant, Geraldine (1995-04-10)."THE MCA SALE: THE DEAL; Seagram Puts the Finishing Touches on Its $5.7 Billion Acquisition of MCA".The New York Times.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  3. ^Bates, James; Eller, Claudia (1995-04-10)."Seagram Signs Deal to Buy 80% of MCA: Hollywood: Firm agrees to pay Matsushita $5.7 billion for controlling interest. Future of Wasserman, Sheinberg remains unclear".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  4. ^Busch, Anita M. (1996-12-10)."A whole new U for MCA".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  5. ^Bates, James (1996-12-10)."Name Dropping: Parent Firm Won't Be 'MCA' Anymore".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  6. ^Cochrane, Naima (2018-06-01)."Remembering Uptown Records: the First Lifestyle Label".The Boombox.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  7. ^"How No Limit and Cash Money Records Made the Deals of a Lifetime".Trapital.2022-03-21.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  8. ^Greenburg, Zack O'Malley."Can Cash Money, The Label That Launched Drake and Nicki Minaj, Strike Platinum Again?".Forbes.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  9. ^"Young Money co-founder Birdman shakes hands on a $30 million deal with Universal".Capital XTRA.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  10. ^"The #6 Biggest Moment: Cash Money Signs With Universal".7 February 2008.RetrievedJune 2,2022.
  11. ^Bowser, Edward (2023-11-03)."1998 Rewind: Remembering Juvenile's 400 Degreez".Soul In Stereo.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  12. ^Peters, Micah (2019-07-31)."'Tha Block Is Hot' Is Lil Wayne's Superhero Origin Story ".The Ringer.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  13. ^"Seagram buys PolyGram - May 21, 1998".money.cnn.com.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  14. ^"Seagrams completes PolyGram acquisition - Dec. 10, 1998".money.cnn.com.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  15. ^Petrikin, Benedict Carver,Chris; Carver, Benedict; Petrikin, Chris (1998-12-11)."U takes a giant gulp".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^Philips, Chuck (1998-12-10)."Merger Puts Seagram at Top of Music Charts".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  17. ^"MCA Is Sued By Motown".The New York Times.1991-05-15.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  18. ^"Special Report: PolyGram-Universal Merger Bad News For Artists?".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon August 18, 2022.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  19. ^Oppelaar, Justin (2001-10-07)."Priority folded into Capitol".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  20. ^Fiasco, Lance (2001-11-28)."Master P Explains Why The Time Was Right To Switch To Universal".idobi Network.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  21. ^"What Hip-Hop Gets Wrong About Master P and No Limit".Trapital.2019-03-26.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  22. ^"P.Diddy Inks Universal Deal, Won't Sell Label".7 February 2003.RetrievedJune 9,2022.
  23. ^Holloway, Lynette (2003-02-08)."P. Diddy Signs 3-Year Deal With Universal Records".The New York Times.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  24. ^Billboard Staff (2003-02-06)."Bad Boy Confirms Universal Pact".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  25. ^Martin, Denise (2003-12-05)."MTV brings back Da Band, Combs for a third season".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  26. ^"Warner Music Takes 50% Stake In P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records".Forbes.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  27. ^"P. Diddy, Warner Music ink joint venture".NBC News.2005-04-15.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  28. ^Billboard Staff (2004-08-12)."Hot 100: 'Lean Back' Rises To The Top".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  29. ^Billboard Staff (2004-08-19)."'Lean Back' Gets Comfy At No. 1 ".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  30. ^ab"Republic Records".Music Business Worldwide.2021-01-06.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  31. ^Leight, Elias (2017-07-10)."How Motown Got Its Groove Back".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  32. ^Christman, Ed (2011-07-26)."Motown Update: Label to Share Resources With Island Def Jam".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  33. ^Billboard Staff (2011-06-17)."Universal Motown Republic and Island Def Jam Announce New Structure, Layoffs Taking Place Today".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  34. ^Morris, Chris (2011-03-09)."Lucian Grainge named UMG chair/CEO".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  35. ^Flanagan, Andrew (2013-03-18)."Universal Music UK Announces Launch of Virgin EMI Records".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  36. ^Aswad, Jem (2020-06-16)."Universal Relaunches EMI Records as Flagship U.K. Label".Variety.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  37. ^"Virgin EMI rebrands as EMI, Rebecca Allen appointed as label president".www.musicweek.com.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  38. ^Puccio, Anthony (2023-02-17)."Motown Records is No Longer an Independent Company".Boardroom.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  39. ^Halperin, Shirley (2014-04-01)."Island Def Jam Motown Reorganizes, Barry Weiss Steps Down".Billboard.Retrieved2023-12-14.
  40. ^Tina maples (2013)."The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.Retrieved25 April2013.
  41. ^abBillboard July 5, 1997 page 48
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