Music Labels
Major Music Labels: since 2009 (Big Four)
1. Sony Music Entertainment
2. EMI Group
3. Warner Music Group
4. Universal Music Group
The music industry is structured by a 4 major companies Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group. These companies also own lots of smaller sub-labels, for example Columbia Records, Epic Records, RCA Records. Also there are independent labels that are not owned by any of the Major record labels, for example Label Love. The purpose of a music company is to find a new talent and to make them as good as they can be, also because there are a lot of music companies, they all need to have popularity to earn the right to take control and own a specific artist.
The reason Sony Music Entertainment has created small sub-label companies is because they are try to entertain a small group of the world’s public. Every town has their own music labels to find or share out new talent, this is because one BIG major company can’t keep track of every little town in the world so the smaller record companies get involved.
Sony Music Entertainment is one of the biggest record labellers in the world, this is because they entertain a vast number of the human public. Examples of the talent they have managed is Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys.
Sony Music Entertainment covers every genre that is known. Plus the sub-labels get involved with the finding of some artist so a specific genre, for example Sony Music UK signed Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis and Little Mix, these artists are mainly R’n’B/Rap.
Sub-labels are controlled by a major for example Sony Music UK are controlled by Sony Music Entertainment. They may have more financial input put into the label because they are funded by a major label. Therefor they have more money to promote their artists and bigger budgets to launch new artists. Independent companies may find it harder to promote an artist because the sub-labels have the financial backing of the majors.
They may have less money to spend on launching an artist. The artists may be less known with only a few making it big in the popular music chart, such as ‘Karmin’ they are a group of a couple that were found from Youtube but now their signed by Epic records (A Sony Music Entertainment Poducation). The artists tend to be seen as less manufactured and focus more on music than image. The fans respect the independent labels because they are seen to be more musically credible than artists signed to major labels.
Unit 3
ReplyDeleteP1, P2
You have made a start in identifying the main music instutitions from the industry and you have also included a few examples of music artists that are signed to that label. You have also made a start in answering the questions from the worksheet but you need to provide more deatiled reasons to explain the purpose of the record labels. Refer back to the handout to assist you with your answers.