E.G. Records
| E.G. Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group(UMG) |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder |
|
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Status | Inactive |
| Distributor(s) | 1969–74Island Records 1975–90Polydor/Polygram 1991–2012Virgin/EMI 2013–presentVirgin EMI/ UMG |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | UK |
E.G. Recordswas a Britishartist managementcompany andindependent record label,mostly active during the 1970s and 1980s. The initials stood for its founders, David Enthoven and John Gaydon.
The pair signed on as managers ofKing Crimsonin early 1969, during the formative stage of the band and prior to the release of debutIn the Court of the Crimson King,with it springboarding their entrance into the record label andmusic publishingmarkets. They also signedT. Rex,Emerson, Lake & PalmerandRoxy Musicto management.
Gaydon left the company in 1971 and Enthoven, due to declining health, in June 1977.[1]Samuel George Alder[2]andMark Fenwick(later managingRoger Waters) took over control of the companies, re-releasing material from King Crimson in addition to new releases from acts such asIain Ballamy,Bill Bruford,The Chieftains,Earthworks,Brian Eno,Robert Fripp,Human Chain,Killing Joke,Loose Tubes,Man Jumping,Penguin Cafe Orchestra,Elan Sicroff,Toyah Willcox,andU.K.
The label was distributed in the UK byIsland Records(through 1974) and thenPolydor Records.In the US, artists were placed onAtlantic Records,Warner Bros. Records,Reprise Records,Atco Records,Polydor Records,Passport Records/Jem Records,Caroline RecordsandVirgin Recordsand on various other labels in other parts of the world.
Alder and Fenwick were investors inLloyd's of Londonand attempted an entrance into thereal estatemarket; major losses on both ventures through 1988-1991 led them to have E.G. loan 4 million pounds towards their failing businesses, which led to noroyalty paymentsto their roster for that time period.[3][1]This prompted extensive legal battles with many of the artists they were involved with. Most notable among those was the one undertaken byRobert Fripp,which lasted6+1⁄2years (April 1991 – September 1997).[4][5]Fripp has been publicly critical of Sam Alder's business practices, both in regards to the non-payment of royalties and beyond, recounting the development of the situation that led to the lawsuit and digitizing/reproducing financial/legal documents multiple times on his online diary.[1]John Lurieof American groupThe Lounge Lizards,whose first album was released by the label in 1981, was also critical of E.G. Records business practices, which he described as deceptive and unethical.[6]
E.G. was sold to Virgin Records in 1992, which continued operating E.G. In 1996, after Virgin was sold toEMI,it was absorbed into Virgin.
Enthoven was born on 5 July 1944. He continued in music management until his death on 11 August 2016.[7]
See also
[edit]- Discipline Global Mobile,independent music company founded by Robert Fripp (guitarist of King Crimson), whose tenets were made to be in direct opposition to the procedures of Sam Alder's E.G.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcdFripp, Robert, ed. (27 June 2012) [6 January 1970, August 1975, 22 February 1976, 7 June 1990, 5 March 1991, 7 March 1991, 17 April 1991, 3 June 1991, 1992, 22 January 1992, 19 June 1993, 26 June 1993, 27 June 1993, 3 July 1993, 10 July 1993, 24 July 1993, 7 August 1993, 13 August 1993, 1994-5, 30 October 1999, 9 December 2002, 15 April 2004, 13 July 2006, 10 February 2009, 11 February 2009, 8 November 2009, 1 December 2009, 21 March 2011, 7 August 2011, 16 August 2011, 12 March 2012]."27 June 2012".Robert Fripp's Diary. Discipline Global Mobile.Retrieved28 March2019.
- ^"Bredonborough Rising at and over".Dgmlive.com.12 March 2012.Retrieved1 May2020.
- ^"Wednesday, 4th April 2007".Robert Fripp's Diary.Salisbury:Discipline Global Mobile. Archived fromthe originalon 21 April 2016.Retrieved28 March2019.
- ^Bruford, Bill (2009).The Autobiography: Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, and More(1st ed.).London:Jawbone Press.ISBN978-1-906002-23-7.
- ^Bambarger, Bradley (11 July 1998)."Fripp Label Does It His Way".Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 28. p. 86 – viaGoogle Books.
- ^John Lurie (2021). The History of Bones, Random House
- ^Williams, Richard (12 August 2016)."David Enthoven obituary".Music | Pop and rock.The Guardian.Retrieved31 March2019.
External links
[edit]- E.G. Records Ltd.discography atDiscogs
