EMI
The EMI Group is a major
record label, based in
Brook Green in
London, in the
United Kingdom. With operations in over 25 other countries, EMI Group is one of the
Big Four record labels.
The
Electric and Musical Industries Ltd formed in March
1931 from a merger of the UK
Columbia Graphophone Company and the
Gramophone Company. In
1957, to replace the loss of its long-established licensing arrangements with
RCA Victor and
Columbia Records (Columbia USA cut its ties with EMI in
1951), EMI entered the American market by acquiring 96% of the stock of
Capitol Records.
The company established subsidiary operations in a number of other countries in the
British Commonwealth, including
India,
Australia and
New Zealand. EMI's Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries dominated the popular music industry in those countries from the
1920s until the
1960s, when other locally-owned labels (such as
Festival Records) began to challenge EMI's market near monopoly in those regions.
Under the management of
Sir Joseph Lockwood, during the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s the company enjoyed huge success in the
popular music field. The groups and solo artists signed to EMI and its subsidiary labels made EMI the best-known and most successful recording company in the world at that time, with a roster that included scores of major pop acts of the period including
The Beatles,
The Beach Boys,
The Byrds,
The Hollies,
Cilla Black and
Pink Floyd.
In
1969, EMI established a new subsidiary label,
Harvest Records, which signed groups in the emerging
progressive rock genre, including
Pink Floyd.
Electric & Musical Industries changed its name to
EMI Ltd in
1971 and the subsidiary Gramophone Company became EMI Records Ltd in
1973. In
1972, EMI replaced the Columbia and HMV
pop music labels with the EMI record label. In February
1979, EMI Ltd. acquired
United Artists Records.
In October 1979
THORN Electrical Industries Ltd. merged with EMI Ltd. to form
Thorn EMI.
In
1989 Thorn EMI bought a 50% interest in
Chrysalis Records, buying the outstanding 50% in
1991. In one of its highest-profile and most expensive acquisitions, Thorn EMI took over
Richard Branson's
Virgin Records in 1992.
On August 16, 1996, Thorn EMI shareholders voted in favour of demerger proposals. The resulting media company has since been known by the name
EMI Group PLC.
Under the control of Sir
Louis Sterling, EMI opened the legendary
Abbey Road Studios in
London,
England in November
1931.
EMI was also an electronic manufacturing company that was very involved in the
development of
television broadcasting in the
UK.
On
December 15,
2005,
Apple Records, the record label representing
The Beatles, launched a suit against EMI for non-payment of royalties. The suit alleges that EMI have withheld $50 million from the record label. An EMI spokesman noted that audits of record label accounts are not unusual, confirming at least two hundred such audits have been performed, but that they rarely result in legal action[
1].
On May 3, 2006, EMI entered preliminary talks to buy
Warner Music Group, which is currently owned privately by a group of investors. [
2] This move would reduce the world's four largest record companies (
Big Four) to three; however, according to Warner's site, its board has rejected the proposal. [
3]. Then Warner Music Group turned the tables and offered to buy EMI. EMI rejected the offer. Representitives from both sides are still having meetings and deciding if one company will buy the other.
See
List of EMI labels.
See
List of musicians signed to EMI.
*The
Sex Pistols were briefly signed to the label from
October 8,
1976 to
January 27,
1977 in a relationship that was fraught with controversy, and that had lasting repercussions for the history of the music industry. In a gesture of retaliation, the Sex Pistols added to their first album (released on
Virgin Records),
Never Mind the Bollocks, a song entitled "EMI" insulting the company. Virgin was acquired by EMI in 1992, so ironically the company now profits from sales of that song.
*In
2001, pop
diva Mariah Carey was signed to Virgin in a much hyped, multi-album deal reportedly worth a record-breaking $80-$100 million. After her first album in the deal,
Glitter, performed poorly, she was reportedly paid $28 million to leave the label. Along with the estimated $20 million advance she received, this is the highest amount a record label has ever paid an artist for a single album.
*Pop star
Robbie Williams signed a 4 album deal paying him over 80 million pounds.
*
List of EMI labels*
List of musicians signed to EMI*
List of record labels*
The HMV Group**
HMV**
Waterstone's*
EMI Group (Parent company)*
EMI Music (UK)*
History of EMI* EMI's contact details are on
Yellowikis*
EMI Music Publishing
