Major Record Labels

Talent & Tenacity - The Major Record Labels

Major Record Labels

Ever consider how music and the major record labels play such a large part in our lives?

I cannot even remember a day in my life when I did not hear music.

Whether you have a collection of thousands of CDs or in my case albums or just turn on the radio during your morning commute to work, you are a connoisseur of music.

Here are a few musical questions for you ...

• Do you ever wonder how it gets to you or do you ever wonder who decides what music gets played and what music doesn’t? 
• Do you ever wonder why only certain artists get played or have their music sold in major retail outlets?
• Has it ever crossed your mind what trends are going to overtake music next?

Well the answer to most of these questions lies within the major record labels.

If you love or hate an artist, it’s their record label that you either thank or blame.

The major record labels take on new artists and promote the sales of their CDs and/or DVDs. They may also help other companies with tour promotions and other public events.

A recording company will usually take on an artist for a specific length of time or for so many recordings. This depends on the terms of the contract negotiated with the major record labels.

If you have ever taken a look at your CD and or DVD collection you’ll probably find that nearly 90% of them come from one of the five major record labels in some way shape or form.

Do the names Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Warner Brothers and BMG Entertainment sound familiar? These are known as the big 5 and make up the five major record labels. 

They account for the vast number of artists, videos and movies. When looking for a job in the music industry, the major record labels are the people to talk to. 

You may be looking at your CD covers and if you’re like me you scan the entire label searching for information.

You may see a name other than one of the five major record labels. This doesn’t mean that you’ve purchased a CD from someone who duplicated it.

However, what is most likely happening is that you have bought something from one of their subsidiary companies. All of the five major record labels own subsidiary companies.

For example, the once great Motown record label is now a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Capitol Records is also a member of EMI’s subsidiaries. The list is endless.

The music we listen to today is largely determined by the five companies noted.

You probably aren’t concerned about that when you are dancing to the latest hip-hop hit or singing along to a chart-topping country song.

The major record labels do have a way of bringing rhythm to our lives, don't they?