Island Records
, and in other territories via licensing agreements with other record companies.
Island's overseas licensing arrangements were often such that Island was marketed as the primary label, with Island Records credited on sleeve spines, and Island's label designs appearing prominently on the discs themselves, even when a different company was responsible for the records' manufacture, distribution and marketing. Sometimes the fine print on these releases would mention the other company, sometimes not. Island did incorporate and operate business offices in the U.S. and Canada in the 1970s and 1980s, but even in those territories, Island-branded records were actually released by companies such as
Asylum Records (U.S., 1970),
Capitol Records (U.S., early 1970s),
Warner Bros. Records (U.S., 1975â€"1982),
WEA Records (Canada, et al.),
Atlantic Records (U.S., 1982â€"1989),
Phonogram Records (Germany, 1970s),
Ariola Records (Germany & Netherlands, late 1970sâ€"1989),
Dacapo (Portugal), and others. One anomaly is that
Festival Records (Australia & New Zealand) got to promote its brand more prominently than most.
Although this strategy of the Island brand dominating releases helped prevent the brand from becoming marginalized, Island struggled as a business in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bob Marley had passed away, Irish alternative rock band
U2, which had signed to Island in March 1980, were growing in popularity, but had not reached the international superstar status that was to come, and a joint arrangement with
Trevor Horn's fledgling
ZTT label had diminishing returns. Blackwell had also used the label to finance a new film production and distribution company,
Island Alive, in 1983. In the mid-1980s, U2 helped keep the label afloat with a loan that Blackwell repaid by expanding U2's royalties and giving the band control of its master recordings.
Island under PolyGram
In July 1989, Blackwell sold Island Records and Island Music to
PolyGram UK Group for
£272 million. From this point on, Island was no longer an independent company, although PolyGram continued to market the brand. Blackwell stayed on as CEO of PolyGram's
Island Entertainment division.
PolyGram immediately began reissuing much of the Island back catalogue on
compact disc and expanded Island's reach through its global manufacture and distribution network, but the label was relatively unfocused in the 1990s. Its
4th & Broadway division, operating since the mid-1980s, achieved some success marketing alternative
hip hop and dance-pop music. In November 1997, Blackwell resigned from Island Entertainment (some sources say he was fired) and went on to form
Palm Pictures the following year. In December 1998,
Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it into
Universal Music Group.
Island under Universal Music Group
The Universal years have, thus far, resulted in tremendous dilution of brands; releases are inconsistently marketed as being "on" any number of labels which range from historic brands like Island to conglomerate holding companies, music groups, label groups, and miscellaneous divisions of Universal Music that formed from numerous mergers and acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s:
*In December 1998 and the first three months of 1999, Universal Music Group put the Island brand in the control of three divisions: one in the UK, one in the U.S., and one in Germany. In each territory, these companies were merged under umbrella groups:
** In the UK, Island and Mercury merged to become divisions of
Island Mercury Group.
** In Germany, Island and Mercury merged to become divisions of
Island Mercury Labelgroup.
** In the U.S., Mercury dissolved, and Island and
Def Jam Recordings merged to become divisions of
Island Def Jam Music Group.
*In March 1999, in the UK, Island Records Ltd. (the Island half of Island Mercury Group) was renamed Universal-Island Records Ltd., and Mercury took over the marketing of Island's roster of U.S. artists in that territory. Thus, Island and Universal-Island became synonymous with primarily UK and European artists. Island Mercury is sometimes used as a brand, as well.
*Releases bearing the Island brand are also sometimes issued via
Universal Music Enterprises (UM
e) and UM3 (UM
3), umbrella organizations formed in October 1999 to handle special-market releases and catalogue reissue compilations for the U.S. and the rest of the world, respectively. UM
e and UM
3 releases are coordinated by a constituent label company like
Hip-O Records and bear its logo, but also typically promote a confusing array of other Universal-owned brands, including Island, with varying degrees of prominence.
*Around 2002, Island Mercury Group became Island Records Group.
*Some early 2000s releases by U2 are credited to "Interscope/Island Records". This is not a separate company, but rather just a co-branded alias for
Interscope Records, much the way "Manhattan Island Records" was used for a handful of Grace Jones releases on
Manhattan Records (a division of
Capitol Records) in the mid-1980s.
*In January 2003, four divisions of Universal Music Germany merged into two:
Motor Music and
Urban/Def Jam become
Motor Urban Def Jam, and
Polydor Records merged with
Island Mercury Labelgroup to form
Polydor Island Group. In 2004, these divisions merged again, and Universal Music Germany restructured to have only two divisions: Universal Music Domestic Division and Universal Music International Division. Any of these divisions, or even Universal Music Germany itself, may be credited as the label on a given release, alongside or in place of Island.
This list is probably incomplete, and some of the dates are uncertain.
*
Al's Records (1996â€"1997)
*
Aladdin Records (UK) (mid-1960s)
*
Antilles Records (1972â€"1998)
*
Apollo Recordings (2006)
*
Black Swan Records (mid-1970s)
*
Blue (1999â€"2001)
*
Blunted (1993â€"1996)
*
4th & Broadway (1982â€"1997)
*
Great Jones (1988â€"1994)
*
Island Black Music (1995â€"1997)
*
Island Jamaica (1995â€"1996)
*
Island Jamaica Jazz (1996)
*
Island Masters (1980sâ€"1990s; reissues)
*
Island Trading Company (importer; 1982â€"mid-1990s; still exists)
*
Island Visual Arts (1985)
*
Mango Records (1972â€"1997)
*
Sense ("Sense of Island"; 1990â€"1991)
*
Stiff Records (1984â€"1986 only)
*
Sue Records (UK division)
*
Surprise Records (mid-1970s)
*
Trade 2 (1996â€"1997)
*
Trojan Records (1967â€"1968 only)
*
Tuff Gong (UK division)
Notable artists and date of signing:
*
The 77s*
Amazing Blondel (1970)
*
Anthrax*
Autopilot Off*
Black Uhuru*
Blue in Heaven*
Bob Marley & The Wailers (
1972)
*
Bon Jovi*
Burning Spear*
Cat Stevens*
Christina Milian*
Jimmy Cliff*
The Cranberries (
1993)
*
Die Trying*
dEUS*
Dru Hill (1996)
*
Emerson, Lake and Palmer*
Everlast*
Fairport Convention*
Fall Out Boy*
Fefe Dobson*
Frankie Goes to Hollywood*
Free*
Grace Jones (
1977)
*
Hinda Hicks*
Hoobastank*
Jethro Tull*
John Martyn (
1967)
*
Keane (
2004)
*
Kid Creole & The Coconuts*
The Killers (
2004)
*
King Sunny Adé (
1982)
*
Ladytron (
2005)
*
Local H*
Melissa Etheridge*
Mariah Carey (
2002)
*
Mikaila*
Mott The Hoople (
1969)
*
Nick Drake*
Nirvana (UK band)*
No Warning*
Orb,The*
PJ Harvey*
Kelly Price*
Pulp*
Quicksand*
Quintessence*
Lionel Richie*
Robert Palmer*
Roxy Music*
Saliva*
The Slits*
Soup Dragons*
Sparks (1974)
*
Steel Pulse*
Sum 41*
Third World*
Thrice*
Thursday*
Traffic*
U2 (March
1980)
*
Utada (2004)
*
Tom Waits (1980s and 1990s)
*
The Wedding Present (1994)
*
Insane Clown Posse*
Gavin Christopher*
McFly (2004)
*
Busted (2002)
*
Sugababes (2002)
*
Mutya Buena (2006)
*
Amy Winehouse (2003)
*
The Bravery (2005)
*
Nine Black Alps (2005)
*
List of record labels*
Island Records (U.K.) â€" official web site (UK)
*
Island Records (U.S.) â€" official web site (US)
*
Island Records label gallery at collectable-records.ru
*
Island Book 1962â€"1977 â€" forthcoming Island Records collectors guide
*
Island Records (UK) and
Island Records (US) sections of black-music-collectors.com
*
Island Records (UK) and
Island Records (US) sections of Discogs.com
*
Island Records research â€" Island research wiki for Discogs.com
*
The Bravery*
The Bravery Forum
