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The Rocket Record Company

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The Rocket Record Company
Parent companyUniversal Music Group[1]
Founded1973[2]
Defunct2007
Distributor(s)US:
MCA Records(1973–1978)
RCA Records(1978–1982)
Geffen Records(1982–1989)
Island/Mercury(1989–present)
UK:
Island(1973–1978)
Phonogram Inc.(1978–1995)
Mercury Records(1995–1998)
Island/Mercury(1998–2013)
Virgin EMI(2013–2020)
EMI(2020–present)
GenreRock
Country of originUK,US
Official websitewww.rocketmusic.com

The Rocket Record Companyis arecord labelfounded byElton John,along withBernie Taupin,Gus Dudgeon,Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after John's hit song "Rocket Man".The label was originally distributed in the UK byIslandand in the US byMCA Records,both of which John was also signed to (after 1976).

History

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Original logo based onThe Railway Series

The first artists who signed to the label were the groupStackridge,who completed two albums for The Rocket Record Company after moving from MCA. It also became the home ofCliff Richard,Neil Sedaka(whose three most successful U.S. mid-1970s albums were on Rocket),Colin Blunstone,theHudson Brothers,Blue,Kiki Dee,Judie Tzuke,The Lambrettas,Junior Campbell,Brian & Brenda Russell,and the Dutch bandSolution.John offered to signIggy Pop&The Stoogesto the label, but they declined. After John left his British label,DJM,in 1976, his records were also released by The Rocket Record Company on both sides of the Atlantic. The label also attempted to attract talent from all over the UK and submitted an advertisement toMelody Makerfor bands to record their sound of today and get it out tomorrow. With an album called "499 2139" (which incidentally was the studio's telephone number) they turned to the talents ofPete Waterman(ofStock Aitken Watermanfame). Waterman and his then assistant Tony Keys recorded and produced a unique mixture of music which, although it only grazed the bottom of the album charts, managed to capture a mixture of genres including a track from The Lambrettas called "Go Steady".

In the US and Canada, John's residency on his own label was short-lived. After only one album,Blue Moves,and a couple of singles (including the hits "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"and"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"), he returned to MCA. At this time, The Rocket Record Company switched distribution toRCAafter being dropped from MCA. The label was discontinued in the US in the early 1980s, then relaunched in 1995 with John'sMade in Englandalbum, distributed byIsland Records.1997'sThe Big Pictureand "Candle in the Wind 1997"were distributed in the US by stepsisterA&M Records.

In the UK, John's records were released by The Rocket Record Company from 1976 onward. In 1978 the distribution moved toPhonogram Inc.,then toMercury Recordsin 1995. By this time, John was the only artist on the label.

Worldwide distribution rights to Elton John's music were consolidated when MCA Records' then-parentSeagramacquiredPolyGram,the owner of Island, Mercury, and A&M, in 1998.Universal Music Group,which oversaw Seagram's recording operations, now co-owns the Elton John catalogue with the singer himself, continuing to distribute it worldwide.

Recent history

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In 1999, The Rocket Record Company was absorbed byThe Island Def Jam Music Group,and it operated under IDJ's Mercury Records division.[1]However, the logo was still used on all new Elton John releases until 2007. The name was also resurrected in 2006 for the eponymousPlatinum Weirdalbum. In 2011, John formed a company named Rocket Music Entertainment Group.[3]

The label still exists today, with just three artists signed to it, as John himself has not released a studio album on Rocket since 2004'sPeachtree Road,although the 2010 one-off collaboration withLeon Russell,The Unionhas the Rocket logo from that time. Otherwise, Rocket is primarily a management company handling established artists such asEd SheeranandSqueeze'sChris Diffordalong with upcoming artists includingAnne-Marieand Jake Issac.

Notable artists

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abJean-Pierre Hombach (1987).Elton John.Rocket Record Company. p. 187.ISBN9781471611865.Retrieved22 July2017.
  2. ^Buckley, P. (2003).The Rough Guide to Rock.Rough Guides. Rough Guides. p. 548.ISBN9781843531050.LCCN2004560527.Somehow, Elton even had time in 1973 to launch his own record label, The Rocket Record Company, which, after a faltering start, soon became home to his protégée Kiki Dee and MOR favourite Neil Sedaka.
  3. ^"Elton John Forms New Company: Rocket Music Entertainment Group | Billboard".Billboard.biz. 30 June 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2013.Retrieved7 June2014.
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