Anthem Records | |
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Parent company | Anthem Entertainment Group |
Founded | 1977 |
Founder | Ray Danniels Vic Wilson |
Distributor(s) | Polydor (May 1977 - Mar. 1978) Capitol-EMI (Mar. 1978 - Oct. 1989) CBS (later Sony) (Oct. 1989 - Oct. 1995) MCA (now Universal) (Oct. 1995 - present) |
Genre | Progressive rock, Alternative rock |
Country of origin | Canada |
Location | Toronto, Ontario |
Official Website | Anthem Entertainment Group.com |
Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario. The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater. The three members of Rush, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson became associate directors of Anthem.
The label's predecessor was Moon Records. Anthem was formed so that Rush would have more control of their work at home in Canada (their international deal with Mercury Records initially included Canada), and so other Canadian bands would have a home, as they could not get signed by the major labels' offices in Toronto or Montreal. Anthem's sister company is SRO Management, also run by Danniels and Wilson, overseeing flagship act Rush and other bands, on and off Anthem.
Lawrence Gowan had also recorded for the label before joining Styx in 1999.