Maverick Records

Maverick Records
Parent company Warner Music Group
Founded 1992
Founder Frederick DeMann
Madonna
Ronnie Dashev
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Records
(In the US)
WEA International Inc.
(Outside of the US)
Genre Various
Country of origin US

Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.

Contents

Company history

Maverick Records was founded by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev and Time Warner in April 1992 as part of the entertainment company, Maverick. The name is combined from the names of the main founders Madonna Veronica and Frederick. It is bi-coastal, having offices in both New York City and Los Angeles. The record company division of Maverick consists of the label, Maverick Musica (a Miami, Florida-based satellite label focusing on Latin-American music) and Maverick Music (publishing).

DeMann was bought out of the company for a reported $20 million in 1998, after which Guy Oseary increased his stake in the company and took control as Chairman and CEO. Maverick has had noted triumphs with acts such as Alanis Morissette, Michelle Branch, The Prodigy, Candlebox, Venezuelan pop-rock singer Douglas Vale and the band Deftones. The label also had success with soundtracks for The Wedding Singer, Jackie Brown and The Matrix. In addition, Quentin Tarantino’s A Band Apart imprint is distributed by Maverick.

In March 2004, Maverick filed suit against Warner Music Group and its former parent company, Time Warner Inc., claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, WMG filed a countersuit, alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own. On June 14, 2004, the dispute was resolved when Maverick shares owned by Madonna and Dashev were purchased — which effectively exiled the two of them from the company as it was now a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Oseary, meanwhile, remained CEO. In August 2006 the band Lillix, which at the time was signed to the label, claimed that the label no longer exists and that all the artists were now handled by Warner Bros. directly.

As of 2010, founding Maverick Records' artists Madonna, Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch are no longer affiliated the label. Madonna left in 2003 after legal action against parent company Warner Bros. Records, Morissette left in 2009 after the release of Flavors of Entanglement and Branch left in 2007 after disbanding The Wreckers.

Maverick Records brought young file-sharer Whitney Harper to court and won the case. Harper was ordered to pay $750 per song for the three dozen uploaded on the Internet.[1]

Artists

Below is a complete listing of all artists and products released by Maverick Recording Company during founder Madonna's tenure as Chief Executive Officer, 1992–2004

Maverick Compilations & Soundtracks

References

  1. ^ Court rejects teen's appeal in Internet music case, by The Associated Press, November 29, 2010; 10:33

See also