culture

If we must have it, we may as well be informed about it...

The music business is a billion dollar industry. It's a big game, but there are suprisingly few players. The truth is, there are only six major record labels: Time Warner, Sony, Philips Electronics, Seagram, Bertelsmann and EMI. Every other record label IN THE WORLD is either owned by one of the above companies, or a small independent label.

Time Warner owns (among many others):

  • Warner Brothers
  • Atlantic
  • Reprise
  • Maverick

    Sony owns (among many others):

  • Columbia
  • Epic
  • the Work Group
  • 550 Music

    Philips Electronics owns (among many others):

  • Island
  • Def Jam
  • Mercury
  • Capricorn

    Seagram owns (among many others):

  • MCA
  • Universal Records
  • Geffen
  • and 50% of Interscope

    Bertelsmann AG owns (among many others):

  • Arista
  • RCA
  • Loud Records
  • Silvertone

    EMI owns (among many others):

  • Capitol
  • Chrysalis
  • Grand Royal
  • Virgin

    This is the marketplace percentages of the "Big Six" in 1996:

  • Time Warner: 21%
  • Sony: 15%
  • Philips Electronics: 13%
  • Seagram: 11%
  • Bertelsmann AG: 11%
  • EMI: 9%

    (The remaining 20% of the market is divided between the indie labels.)

    The Indies Some of the "major" indie labels include:

  • Profile Entertainment (Run DMC)
  • Caroline Records (distrubutes other indie labels)
  • (Mammoth was recently bought by Disney)
  • Righteous Babe Records (established by Ani DiFranco)
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    sources: Soundscan, Recording Industry Association of America, Smith Barney, compiled in The Media Nation.