Sire Records
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Sire Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Warner Music Group |
Founded | 1966 |
Founder | Seymour Stein Richard Gottehrer |
Distributor(s) |
|
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | United States |
Official website | www |
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History
Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by
When distribution by London ended after two years, US distribution was handled by various companies: Polydor Records in 1970 and 1971, during which time Sire's famous logo was introduced; by Famous Music from 1972 to 1974, during which time the progressive rock band Focus charted with their 1972 hit "Hocus Pocus"; and by ABC Records, which inherited Sire's distribution deal when it acquired Famous Music. Sire was distributed by Phonogram Inc. in Europe from 1974 to 1977.
In the 70s, Sire released a number of compilation albums, including the 3 volume "History Of British Rock" series, and acts such as
Acquisition by Warner
In the mid-1970s, Sire transformed itself into a successful
In 1994, Sire switched distribution from Warner Bros. Records to sister label Elektra Records, also part of parent company Warner Music Group (WMG). Stein had been appointed president of Elektra Records under Elektra's newly appointed CEO Sylvia Rhone, so Stein would also be overseeing distribution of Sire releases by Elektra as well as running Elektra day-to-day. Sire left Elektra distribution in 1997 as it became a stand-alone label. But in 2000, Sire and the US division of London Records were merged to become one label, London-Sire Records. This partnership, however, was dissolved in April 2003, at which point the company went back to being called Sire Records, and it returned to distribution with Warner Bros. Records once again.
In 1998, Sire signed a deal with the band The Tragically Hip to distribute their music outside of Canada.[2]
In 2009, official music videos displayed on the Sire Records website[3] were taken down[4] because of a copyright claim by parent Warner Music Group, after royalty negotiations between WMG and YouTube (which Sire had been using to host the videos) broke down in December 2008. In September 2009, both parties came to terms, with Warner Music restoring its music onto YouTube.
In July 2017, Rani Hancock was named the new president of Sire Records. Label co-founder Seymour Stein remained on as chairman.[5] Hancock had previously been the executive vice president and head of A&R at Island Records.[6] In July 2018, Stein departed from Sire Records after a total of 51 years involved at Sire or its parent WMG.[7]
See also
- List of Sire Records artists
- List of record labels
References
- ^ "Personality Clash: Seymour Stein Vs Tim Dellow | Clash Music Exclusive General". Clashmusic.com. November 9, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Warner Bros Records". Warner Bros Records. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
- ^ "Warner Music to Warner Music: You are pirates!". Boing Boing. May 3, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ^ Halperin, Shirley (July 10, 2017). "Sire Records Names Rani Hancock President; Founder Seymour Stein Remains Chairman (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ Schneider, Marc (July 10, 2017). "Rani Hancock Named President of Sire Records". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ "Seymour Stein Is Leaving Warner Music and Sire Records, the Label He Launched 51 Years Ago". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Discogs profile
- Sire Records discography at Discogs