Hyperion Records
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Hyperion Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Universal Music Group |
Founded | 1980 |
Founder | George Edward Perry |
Genre | Classical music |
Country of origin | UK |
Location | United Kingdom |
Official website | hyperion-records |
Hyperion Records is a British classical music record label. It was independent until February 2023, when it was acquired by the Universal Music Group. Under Universal, Hyperion is one of the three main classical record labels, alongside Decca and Deutsche Grammophon.
History
Hyperion is a British classical label established in 1980, showcasing recordings of music of all genres from the 12th century to the 21st. The company is eponymous with
After the death on 9 February 2003 of Hyperion Records founder Ted Perry, his son Simon Perry took over as director.
Acquisition by Universal Music Group
Entries at Companies House show that, on 14 February 2023, ownership of Hyperion moved to Universal Music Operations Limited, a primary British subsidiary of Universal Music Group (UMG), who later officially announced the acquisition on 15 March 2023,[1] making Hyperion a sister label of Deutsche Grammophon and Decca.
Recognition
Hyperion became renowned for recording lesser-known works, particularly Romantic
More recently,
Canadian pianist
Hyperion's recordings have won many awards, among them several
Sawkins lawsuit
In 2004, Hyperion became embroiled in a legal dispute with Lionel Sawkins, a music editor whose editions of works by
Hyperion maintained that the editions were not original compositions and therefore were not subject to copyright, and further that Sawkins did receive payment in the form of a hire fee from the performers for their rental. The case came to court in May 2004, and the judgment went largely in Sawkins's favor. Hyperion appealed in March 2005, and the court upheld the original judgment.
While the damages Sawkins sought were thought to be small, the legal costs of the case were estimated to result in a liability to the company of hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling, making its future uncertain at the time.[4] By 2006, Hyperion had received financial support from musicians, consumers, and composers to enable its survival.[5] As a precedent-setting case, the judgment was criticized by many musicologists.
Peter Phillips, the director of the
See also
References
- ^ "UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF LEGENDARY CLASSICAL LABEL HYPERION RECORDS". Universal Music Group. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Andrew Clements, "Schubert: The Complete Songs, 60 soloists/Johnson" (CD review). The Guardian, 28 October 2005". London. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ "Ted Perry (record label founder)". Gramophone. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "Ed Vulliamy, "£1 m legal bill rocks a musical institution". The Guardian, 23 December 2005". London. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Thompson, James (26 October 2006). "Michael Church, " Why cutting-edge classical music is the preserve of the minors". The Independent, 26 October 2006". London. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Ed Vulliamy (23 December 2005), "£1m legal bill rocks a musical institution: Classical record firm at risk after court defeat; Bill for copyright action a 'self-inflicted wound'", The Guardian.
External links
- Hyperion Records' official web site
- Interview with (founder) Ted Perry, 25 September 1990
- Legal Judgments
- Original case which concluded in May 2004: Sawkins v Hyperion Records Ltd [2004] EWHC 1530 (Ch), [2004] 4 All ER 418 (1 July 2004)
- Appeal which concluded in March 2005: Hyperion Records Ltd v Sawkins [2005] EWCA Civ 565, [2005] 1 WLR 3281, [2005] 3 All ER 636 (19 May 2005)