| Epic Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Distributor(s) | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | US |
| Location | New York City, NY |
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A. Reid is the Chairman & CEO of the company.
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Epic Records was launched in 1953 by CBS for the purpose of marketing jazz, pop and classical music that did not fit the theme of the more mainstream Columbia Records. Pop talent on co-owned Okeh Records were transferred to Epic which made Okeh a rhythm and blues label.[1] Epic's bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. This has included such notables as the Berlin Philharmonic, Charles Rosen, the Juilliard String Quartet, Antal Doráti conducting the Hague Philharmonic and George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.
By 1960, the label's musical base had been expanded to include all genres. This was done in part to prevent the roster of Columbia Records (which, at the time, had a reputation for releasing material by more established acts) from being overstuffed with newer artists. Subsequently, Epic became better known for its signing of newer, fledgling acts. By the end of the 1960s, Epic earned its first gold records and had evolved into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Among its many acts, it included Roy Hamilton, Bobby Vinton, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Tammy Wynette, Donovan, The Yardbirds, Lulu, July and Jeff Beck. Several of the British artists on the Epic roster during the 1960s were the result of CBS's Epic/Okeh units' international distribution deal with EMI; Epic recordings were issued by EMI on the Columbia label.
Also during the 1960s, Epic oversaw the smaller subsidiary CBS labels including: Okeh Records and Date Records. In 1968, the Epic imprint was added in the UK and distributed by CBS after the distribution deal with EMI expired that year.[2]
Epic's commercial success continued to grow in the 1970s with releases from ABBA, Boston, Cheap Trick, The Clash, Charlie Daniels, Heart, The Isley Brothers, The Jacksons, Labelle, Meat Loaf, Johnny Nash, Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, Minnie Riperton, Pegasus, Charlie Rich, Sly & the Family Stone, Steve Vai and Edgar Winter. Also contributing to the labels success was its distribution of Philadelphia International Records, which produced additional hit records by acts such as The Three Degrees and McFadden and Whitehead.
During the 1980s, Epic was arguably the most successful label of the decade. Its 1980s and 1990s mainstream success were fueled by its signing and releasing of albums by such acts as Michael Jackson, Shakin' Stevens, Culture Club, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Adam Ant, Living Colour, Prong, Dead or Alive, Europe, Cyndi Lauper, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Sade, Luther Vandross, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Céline Dion among others. The label's greatest pay-dirt achievement came with the release Thriller, the 1982 album by Michael Jackson, which went on to achieve approximately eighty million in international sales, becoming the biggest selling album in history.
More recently, other successful acts on the label have included Anastacia, Jennifer Lopez, The Fray, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, Korn, Fiona Apple, Ozzy Osbourne, Nate McDonald, Chevelle, JLS, and Rage Against the Machine.
Epic Records is today owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987, and the company was renamed Sony Music in 1991. In 2004, Sony merged with another powerhouse music distributor, BMG, bringing labels such as Epic, Arista, Columbia, RCA, Jive, and many others under one parent company, Sony BMG. In February 2009, singer/songwriter Amanda Ghost was appointed president of Epic Records.[3] Later in the year, Sony BMG Music (during a reconsolidation of labels) merged Epic and Columbia's operations, and subsequently formed the Columbia/Epic Label Group — but both labels continue to operate as separate brands. Sony BMG's Legacy Recordings reissues the company's classic and catalogue titles.
In addition, in the 1990s, European operations of Sony Music was integrated into two separate labels, Epic and Columbia. It was followed by Australian and New Zealand operation of Sony Music in 1997.
The Japanese operation is called Epic Records Japan Inc..
In July 2011, L.A. Reid became the head of the Epic Records which also includes various former Jive Records artists.[4] Reid has already begun a new "era" in signing artists, having signed up YouTube sensation Karmin.[5] Through Sony Music Entertainment's restructuring, artists such as Outkast, Ciara and Avril Lavigne have joined Epic. [6][7] Epic will sign the winners of The X Factor. [8]
The following is a list of labels Epic Records has distributed: