MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

and music

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of

Koch Entertainment Koch Entertainment was an American record label and a distributor of film, television, and music. It was purchased by Canadian entertainment company Entertainment One in 2005. History First years The company began in 1975 as part of Koch Inter ...

, which had been acquired by the present-day

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

(eOne) in 2005. In April 2021, after the acquisition of eOne by

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

, the company announced that it would sell eOne Music to

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate b ...

. It owns the libraries of

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. ...

Dualtone Records Dualtone Records is an American record label specializing in folk, Americana, and indie rock. It was founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington. The company is run by Robinson and the label's president, Paul Roper. Albums are distribute ...

, and

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor (businessman), Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Indepe ...

History

eOne as a whole has its origins in the music distributor Records on Wheels, which was acquired by the Canadian retail chain CD Plus in 2001 to expand its wholesale business. Darren Throop joined the company after CD Plus acquired his record store chain Urban Sound Exchange. The combined company later became known as ROW Entertainment, with Throop as president and CEO. In June 2005, ROW acquired the American independent music distributor and home entertainment publisher

, including its label Koch Records. In 2008, MNRK Music Group distributed the record label

HipHopCanada The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained l ...

Digital from the longest-running and largest source of

Canadian Hip Hop The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained l ...

news. Koch was renamed E1 Music in 2009. It acquired IndieBlu Music, parent of

and V2 Records North America, in 2010. In 2013, eOne acquired the library of defunct hip-hop label

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ('' ...

. In January 2016, eOne acquired

. In March 2016, eOne acquired Canadian label

, and hired its founder, music industry lawyer Chris Taylor, as global president of eOne Music. In 2016, eOne acquired the management firms Hardlivings and Nerve Artist Management. In November 2016, eOne Music hired Ted May, the former senior international marketing manager of Universal Music UK, as director for its UK division, operating from eOne's offices in London. In March 2018, eOne Music acquired the live event production company Round Room Entertainment. In 2019, Amelia Artists partnered with eOne's management division. Later in 2019, eOne partnered with the Latin management and marketing group Entotal. In November 2020, it signed AMPED Distribution as its new physical distributor in North America. In April 2021, following the acquisition of its parent company by toy and entertainment company

, eOne announced that it would divest its music business to the private equity firm

for $385 million, in order to focus more on its film and television entertainment businesses. The sale was completed in June, and the unit continued to use the eOne branding until September 2021; when the company was subsequently renamed MNRK Music Group. On February 9, 2022, MNRK sold the rights to the Death Row Records brand and catalogue to rapper

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control The Blackstone Group companies American independent record labels Smooth jazz record labels Hip hop record labels Jazz record labels 2021 mergers and acquisitions

History

See also

References

External links