| Fontana Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Distributor(s) | Interscope-Geffen-A&M (US) Polydor Records (UK) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
| Location | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Official Website | Official website of Fontana Distribution |
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label.
The name has also been revived as independent label distibutor Fontana Distribution.
Fontana's U.S. counterpart label was started in 1964 and distributed by Philips US subisidaiary Mercury Records. Among the hitmakers were: Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Mindbenders, The Troggs, The New Vaudeville Band and Steam, all of whom had #1 hits on the label. Other successful Fontana artists included The Silkie, Nana Mouskouri and the duo of Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg. Mercury discontinued this label (and one other subsidiary, Smash Records) in 1970.
Fontana's British division was the UK licensee for Motown Records (in 1961), Vanguard Records (until 1967), Mainstream Records and ESP-Disk. As with Philips, labels were blue for singles, black for EPs and LPs.
In the UK and Europe, the Fontana label was largely dormant after 1974, although in 1980-81 it was used for releases by Sector 27 and Dennis Bovell. Fontana was revived in the late 1980s as an outlet for acts such as Tears for Fears, The Teardrop Explodes, Cocteau Twins and Swing Out Sister, and was active in the 1990s, releasing music for acts such as Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Ocean Colour Scene and James. It is currently an active division of Universal Music Group as Fontana Distribution, using the same logo.
The label's only artist as of August 2009 is Brooke Hogan.
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