Brother Records, Inc. (BRI) is an American
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
and
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
established in 1966 that owns the
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
rights of
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
, including "The Beach Boys"
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
. It was founded by brothers
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
,
Carl Carl may refer to:
*Carl, Georgia, city in USA
*Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
* Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
*Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of te ...
and
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...
, and their cousin
Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bas ...
. As of 2011, the corporation was equally owned by four shareholders and directors: Brian Wilson, Mike Love,
Al Jardine
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rho ...
, and the estate of Carl Wilson.
Background and formation
The Beach Boys decided to form their own label, Brother Records, in response to
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
' lack of support for the band's more ambitious album ideas. According to biographer
Steven Gaines,
Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bas ...
was "the most receptive" to the proposal, wanting the Beach Boys to have more creative control over their work, and supported
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
's decision to employ his newfound "best friend"
David Anderle
David Anderle (July 9, 1937 – September 1, 2014) was an American A&R man, record producer, and portrait artist. He is best known for his business associations with the Beach Boys during the production of the band's unfinished album ''Smile'' a ...
as head of the label, even though it was against band manager
Nick Grillo
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Pla ...
's wishes.
Plans for the company began in August 1966. In a press release, Anderle said that Brother Records was to give "entirely new concepts to the recording industry, and to give the Beach Boys total creative and promotional control over their product". Anderle later said that the label was for releasing projects that were "special" for Brian, and there was initially no concern over whether the label's products would be distributed by Capitol. Another one of the major reasons that Brother Records was formed was so that Wilson could create his own recording studio.
![The Appeal to the Great Spirit, Cyrus E](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/The_Appeal_to_the_Great_Spirit%2C_Cyrus_E._Dallin%2C_Boston%2C_Mass._%28cropped%29.jpg)
For the company logo, Wilson chose
Cyrus E. Dallin
Cyrus Edwin Dallin (November 22, 1861 – November 14, 1944) was an American sculpture, sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the equest ...
's 1908 life size bronze statue ''
Appeal to the Great Spirit
''Appeal to the Great Spirit'' is a 1908 equestrian statue by Cyrus Dallin, located in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It portrays a Native American on horseback facing skyward, his arms spread wide in a spiritual request to the Great ...
'' at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. When
Carl Wilson
Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's ''de ...
was asked in 1975 why the group used this as their logo, he said the Indian was chosen because the Wilson brothers' grandfather believed that there was a spiritual Indian guide who watched over them from the "other side". Carl called the logo "The Last Horizon."
Brother Records' office took residence at 9000
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...
and Grillo was assigned the role of financial administrator. Singer
Danny Hutton
Daniel Anthony Hutton (born September 10, 1942) is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a m ...
was to have been one of the first artists signed to the label. The Beach Boys also established a short-lived film production company, called Home Movies, to create live action film and television properties starring themselves. The company completed only one production, a promotional clip for "Good Vibrations".
Wilson started having increasing doubts about the ''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'' project and showing signs of worsening mental health during the latter months of 1966. After he began suspecting that his father may have planted a listening device in his home, he insisted on holding business meetings in his swimming pool. He also suspected that Capitol was withholding payments from the band and instructed Grillo to conduct an audit of the label's financial records. Discrepancies were soon found. On February 28, 1967, the band launched a lawsuit against Capitol that sought neglected royalty payments in the amount of $250,000 (equivalent to $ in ). Within the lawsuit, there was also an attempt to terminate their record contract prior to its November 1969 expiry. Following the suit, Wilson announced that the company would issue "
Vega-Tables
"Vegetables" (early versions spelled as "Vega-Tables") is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album ''Smiley Smile''. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, it was one of the last tracks recorded for the unfinished ...
" as the lead single from ''Smile''.
Anderle met with many record companies but failed to secure a distributor for Brother Records. Frustrated by Wilson's regressive behavior, Anderle ultimately disassociated from the group. The last time Wilson was visited by Anderle to discuss business matters, Wilson refused to leave his bedroom.
The Capitol lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, with the Beach Boys receiving the royalties owed in exchange for Brother Records to distribute through Capitol Records.
An official announcement of the resolution was made on July 18.
Later years
Al Jardine
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rho ...
became a shareholder in 1973.
Following his death in 1983, Dennis Wilson's heirs sold his shares back to the band to repay loans.
According to Mike Love in his 2016 memoir, BRI's shareholders continued to receive 17.5% of all revenue under the terms of the license.
In February 2021, it was announced that Brian Wilson, Love, Jardine, and the estate of Carl Wilson had sold a majority stake in the band's intellectual property to
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records.
Since September 2013, he has been chai ...
and his new company Iconic Artists Group.
Discography
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
*Edwards, David; Patrice Eyries, Mike Callahan (2004)
Brother Records Album Discography Retrieved January 26, 2006.
{{Authority control
American record labels
Rock record labels
Vanity record labels
Record labels established in 1966
The Beach Boys
Holding companies established in 1966
Companies based in Los Angeles
American companies established in 1966
Holding companies of the United States