A&M Records

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"A&M" redirects here. For other uses, see A&M (disambiguation).
A&M Records
Image:A&M Records logo.png
Parent company Universal Music Group
Founded 1962
Founder Herb Alpert
Jerry Moss
Distributing label Interscope-A&M (US)
Polydor Records (UK)
Genre Various
Country of origin US
Location Santa Monica, California
Official website A&M/Octone Records

A&M Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates in the Interscope-A&M division.

Contents

[edit] Company history

[edit] Beginnings

A&M Records was formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. Their first choice for a name was “Carnival Records,” under which they released two singles, before discovering another label had taken the Carnival name first. The company was subsequently renamed “A&M,” after Alpert’s and Moss’s initials. From 1966 to 1999, the company was headquartered on the grounds of the historic Charlie Chaplin Studio at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, near Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. (The A&M Studios and executive offices are now the home of Jim Henson Productions, which operates Henson Recording Studios[1] and the financial center is home to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.)

Within a decade of its inception, A&M became the world's largest independent record company. In 1979, when A&M entered a distribution agreement with [[RCA Records] (which later became BMG), A&M was no longer an independent label, but remained one of the largest labels and remained under Alpert and Moss' ownership.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, A&M was among the leading purveyors of ‘light’ pop music, with such acts as: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Burt Bacharach, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, Carpenters, Chris Montez, Captain and Tennille, and Paul Williams.

In the late 1960s, A&M added British artists through direct signing and licensing agreements. These artists include Joe Cocker, Procol Harum,Fairport Convention, and Spooky Tooth.

In the 1970s, under its manufacturing and distribution agreement with Ode Records A&M released albums by Carole King and the comedy duo Cheech and Chong. The Carpenters, however, remain the label's most successful act of the 1970s with close to 100 million albums sold worldwide. Other notable acts from the 1970s include Nazareth, The Tubes, Styx, Supertramp, and Peter Frampton.

A&M releases were initially issued in the United Kingdom by EMI's Stateside Records label, and then under its own name by Pye Records until 1967. A&M Records, Ltd. [1] was established in 1970, with distribution handled by other labels with a presence in Europe. A&M Records of Canada, Ltd. [2] was also formed in 1970, and A&M Records of Europe in 1977.

In the late 1970s, A&M recognized the potential in the burgeoning English punk movement and in 1977 signed the Sex Pistols shortly after the band had been dropped by EMI in the wake of public outrage over band members' obscenities uttered on a national English talk show. Following a record contract signing staged for the press, the band members returned to A&M's offices in London for a celebration, during which they reportedly got drunk and caused damage to the offices.[3] Six days later, the label bought out the band's contract without releasing the single "God Save the Queen." Copies of the single were removed from the manufacturing plant and are among the most expensive of A&M memorabilia. The incident was later memorialized in the song, "E.M.I.", which ends with Johnny Rotten sneering, "Good-bye, A&M!" and blowing a raspberry.


A&M’s success sustained during the 1980s with noted acts that included: Janet Jackson, Atlantic Starr, The Police, Suzanne Vega, Oingo Boingo, Annabel Lamb, Bryan Adams, and Joe Jackson. [4]

Over the years, A&M added specialty imprints: Almo International[5] for middle of the road; Omen Records (1964–1966)[6] for soul; Horizon Records[7] for jazz (1974–1978); AyM Discos[8] Latin American division; Vendetta Records[9] Tuff Break Records [10] was another joint venture.

[edit] The PolyGram Years

A&M became distribuited by PolyGram who bought A&M in 1989 for a reported $500 million. Alpert and Moss continued to manage A&M until 1993, when they felt PolyGram was increasing its pressure on A&M to fit the PolyGram corporate structure. The sale to PolyGram stipulated that Alpert and Moss had an integrity clause allowing them to control the label's image through 2009. In 1998, Alpert and Moss sued PolyGram for breach of the integrity clause.

In 1991, A&M developed Perspective Records[11] through a joint venture with producing team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis deactivated Perspective in 1997, and moved distribution of Perspective to Universal. In 1997, Jam and Lewis recordings began being released under their Flyte Tyme record label.

In the mid-1990s, A&M began distributing its PolyGram sister label, Polydor Records; an association that continues to this day. A&M was a leader in innovative music marketing and licensing, and was the first label to license its music for use in videogames with Soundgarden, and Therapy?, appearing in Electronic Arts, "Road Rash 3DO" videogame in 1994[12]

During the 1990s, the company continued to release critically and commercially acclaimed albums by: Soundgarden, Extreme, Amy Grant, John Hiatt, Sting, Blues Traveler, Barry White, and Aaron Neville—as well as from new artists Sheryl Crow, Therapy?, CeCe Peniston, and the Gin Blossoms. The company extended its soundtrack legacy with, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The_Three_Musketeers, Sabrina, The Living Sea, Demolition Man, Lethal Weapon 3, as well as indie classic Empire Records.

[edit] A&M Under Universal Music Group

In 1998, PolyGram was bought by Seagrams and merged into its Universal Music Group. The consolidation of these two music giants triggered a shake up of labels. A&M was subsequently merged into Universal Music Group’s then newly formed Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.

The A&M lot on La Brea Avenue was shut down in January 1999 and now operates as Henson Recording Studios. During the farewell celebration, the company’s staff placed a black band over the A&M sign indicating the death of the company. Most of the company’s workforce (some of whom had been with the company for a decade, or more) were let go, while many of its artists were dropped. Alpert and Moss sued Universal Music Group in 2000; claiming that they had violated a contractual agreement that stated A&M Records would be allowed to retain its corporate culture. The suit was later settled.

The first multi-platinum A&M Records release under Universal Music Group and Interscope was Sting’s 1999 album Brand New Day. In addition to Sting, in the time since A&M’s restructuring, the company has continued to attain success with releases by its few retained mainstay acts, such as Chris Cornell, Sheryl Crow and Bryan Adams—as well as by newer acts like The Black Eyed Peas, Keyshia Cole, and Pussycat Dolls.

[edit] A&M/Octone

In February 2007, Universal Music attracted Octone Records away from SonyBMG and relaunched A&M as A&M/Octone Records, headed by James Diener. A&M/Octone Records is a joint-venture with Interscope-A&M/Universal Music Group and distributed worldwide by the Universal Music Group.

[edit] Artists

Main article: List of current A&M Records artists
Main article: List of former A&M Records artists

[edit] Affiliated labels

[edit] Former labels

Label histories for most of these companies are available at On A&M Records.

[edit] Current labels

[edit] References

  1. ^ A&M Records Ltd.. On A&M Records.com. (2007).
  2. ^ A&M Records Canada. On A&M Records.com. (2003).
  3. ^ Young, Charles M (1977). "Rock Is Sick and Living in London". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
  4. ^ A&M Records History 1980-1989. On A&M Records.com. (2003).
  5. ^ Almo International. On A&M Records.com. (2003).
  6. ^ Omen Records. On A&M Records.com. (2007).
  7. ^ Horizon Records History. On A&M Records.com. (2003).
  8. ^ AyM Discos History. On A&M Records.com. (2003).
  9. ^ Vendetta Records. On A&M Records.com. (2007). (1988–1990) as a dance imprint.
  10. ^ Tuff Break. On A&M Records.com. (2007).for hip hop music (1994-1995)
  11. ^ Perspective Records. On A&M Records.com. (2006).
  12. ^ A&M Records History 1990-2000. On A&M Records.com. (2003).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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