Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American
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 pr ...
owned by
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...
, founded in 1950 by
Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt.
It played an important role in the development of
contemporary folk and
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...
between the 1950s and 1970s. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's
Atlantic Records Group
Atlantic Records Group LLC is an umbrella label owned by Warner Music Group. It oversees several labels assigned to its Atlantic Records unit. In total, the label group has nearly three hundred artists on its roster.
History
In 2004, Time Warner ...
. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived as an imprint of Atlantic in 2009. In October 2018, Elektra was detached from the Atlantic Records umbrella and reorganized into Elektra Music Group, once again operating as an independently managed frontline label of Warner Music. In June 2022, Elektra Music Group was merged with
300 Entertainment
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, el ...
to create the umbrella label
300 Elektra Entertainment
300 Elektra Entertainment (or 3EE) is an umbrella label group owned by Warner Music Group. It exists as a merger of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, along with its respectively owned labels.
The umbrella label describes itself as " av ...
(3EE), though both Elektra and 300 will continue to maintain their separate identities as labels.
History
1950–1971: Founding and early history
Elektra was formed in 1950, as the ''Elektra-Stratford Record Corporation'', with a singles label called Stratford Records, by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt in Holzman's
St. John's College dorm room.
Each invested $300. The usual spelling of the
Greek mythological Pleiad
The Pleiades (; grc-gre, Πλειάδες, Ancient Greek pronunciation: ), were the seven sister-nymph, nymphs, companions of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Together with their seven sisters, the Hyades (mythology), Hyades, they were called ...
Electra
Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...
[Follow the Music p6] was changed. Holzman famously explained, "I gave her the 'K' that I lacked". He found the 'C' in the original name "too soft", but liked the "solid bite" of the letter 'K', citing its use in the
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
name.
The first Elektra LP, ''New Songs'' (EKLP 1 released March 1951), was a collection of ''
Lied
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
er'' and similar art songs, which sold few copies. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the label concentrated on
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
recordings, releasing a number of best-selling albums by
Theodore Bikel,
Ed McCurdy,
Oscar Brand, and
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
, and
protest singers such as
Phil Ochs and
Tom Paxton.
Holzman also recorded
Josh White, who was without a record deal as a result of
McCarthyite blacklisting.
In 1964, Elektra launched
Nonesuch Records. This classical budget label was the best-selling budget classical label of the era. Other labels followed suit by starting their own budget series, but Nonesuch remained the most popular and Jac Holzman states in his book that profits from the budget classical label made it possible for Elektra to experiment with their pop releases by the mid-1960s.
In 1965, Elektra began a short-lived joint venture with Survey Music called Bounty Records, which was Elektra's first foray into pop music. The most notable signing for Bounty was the
Paul Butterfield Band who was moved over to Elektra when Bounty folded.
Elektra's entrance into pop gained the label considerable prestige within the music scene by being one of the first labels to sign up leading acts from the new wave of American
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
of 1966–1967. The label's most important signings were the Chicago-based
Paul Butterfield Blues Band (with
Mike Bloomfield), the Los Angeles bands
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
and
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
, and the Detroit bands
The Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...
and
MC5.
Included in Elektra's Los Angeles-based signings were
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ...
and
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
.
In 1968, the label also signed pioneering rock guitar soloist
Lonnie Mack to a three-album deal.
Also in 1967, Elektra launched its Nonesuch Explorer Series, one of the first collections of what is now referred to as
world music. Excerpts from several Nonesuch Explorer recordings were later included on the two
Voyager Golden Discs, which were sent into deep space in 1977 aboard the
Voyager 1
''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin '' Voyager 2'', ''V ...
and
Voyager 2
''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. As a part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, '' Voyager 1'', ...
space probes.
1971–1989: Elektra/Asylum Records
Elektra, along with its
Nonesuch Records subsidiary, was acquired by
Kinney National Services in 1970, which changed its name to
Warner Communications in 1972.
Soon afterwards, Kinney consolidated their label holdings under the
Warner-Elektra-Atlantic umbrella. Holzman remained in charge of Elektra until 1972, when it merged with
Asylum Records to become Elektra/Asylum Records;
Asylum's founder,
David Geffen
David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in ...
, headed the newly combined label.
Holzman, in the meantime, was appointed senior vice president and chief technologist for Warner — ushering the company into home video and the first interactive cable system. Holzman also went on to acquire
Discovery Records. In 1975, Geffen stepped down when he was told that he had a terminal illness; He later was revealed to have been falsely diagnosed. He was replaced by Joe Smith, who later went on to become CEO of
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 not ...
.
Joe Smith, whose leadership resulted in the biggest market share and gross revenues Elektra Asylum was to have, inherited the A&R services of
Chuck Plotkin, famed later for producing many of Bruce Springsteen's greatest records, followed up by
George Daly, who is credited as bringing in seminal
new wave band
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr ( bass guitar), Elliot Easton ( lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboar ...
, setting Elektra, again, on another artist direction.
Although the label was technically listed as "Elektra/Asylum Records" on the label credits, as the years went on, the label began to unofficially call itself Elektra Records again (with Asylum operating as a subsidiary label). In 1982, Elektra launched a jazz subsidiary called
Elektra/Musician. The following year,
Bob Krasnow became president and CEO of Elektra; under his leadership, the label reached its commercial peak throughout the rest of the 1980s and early to mid-1990s.
1989–2004: Elektra Entertainment Group
In 1989, the label officially changed its name to Elektra Entertainment. During the
Bob Krasnow era, the label became home to a wide range of artists, such as
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
,
Faster Pussycat,
Mötley Crüe,
Phish,
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
,
10,000 Maniacs,
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...
,
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
,
The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bene ...
,
Stereolab,
Luna,
The Call,
X,
The Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Cu ...
,
Anita Baker,
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
,
Natalie Cole,
Brand Nubian,
KMD
KMD ('' K.M.D.'', ''Kausing Much Damage'', or ''A Positive Kause in a Much Damaged Society'') was an American hip hop trio active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The core of the group was composed of brothers Daniel "Zev Love X" Dumile an ...
, and
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''.
Career
1991–1994: The Golden Age
As a pr ...
.
The label's A&R department included former music journalist
Terry Tolkin
Terry Tolkin (September 10, 1959 – January 21, 2022) was an American music executive and music journalist.
In the 1980s, Tolkin worked for several record labels, including Touch & Go Records, Rough Trade Records, and his own No.6 Records. Fr ...
, who was credited with coining the term "
alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music:
*Alternative rock
*Alternative pop
*Alternative R&B
*Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul
*Alternative reggaeton
*Alternative hip hop
*Alternative dance
*Alternative metal
*Chris ...
" in the late 1970s. Also during this time, Elektra developed a relationship with the
UK label
4AD. Elektra became the label for 4AD acts such as the
Pixies,
the Breeders,
Frank Black, and
The Amps
The Amps were an American alternative rock band formed by Kim Deal in 1995, while her band the Breeders went on hiatus. The group consisted of Deal, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macphe ...
in the United States.
Like its sister labels, Elektra's fortunes began to wane in the mid-1990s, in part because of a series of bitter corporate battles between senior Warner label executives, which seriously damaged the collective reputation of the group. Unhappy with major structural changes enacted by then Warner Music Group chairman Robert Morgado, Bob Krasnow abruptly resigned in July 1994, and others soon followed; the highly respected Warner Bros CEO
Mo Ostin decided not to renew his contract and left in December 1994, and Ostin's friend and protégé
Lenny Waronker
Lenny Waronker (born October 3, 1941) is an American record producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Bros. Records, and later, as the co-chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment to artists and ...
left early the next year. Krasnow was replaced by
Sylvia Rhone
Sylvia Rhone (born March 11, 1952) is an American music industry executive. Since 2019, she is the chair and CEO of Epic Records, a label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
Rhone served previously in senior positions at Vested In Culture, Unive ...
, who at the time was a senior vice president at Atlantic Records, and also the CEO of Atlantic's
EastWest Records America imprint. Upon Rhone's arrival at Elektra, the label took over the operations of EastWest, as well as
Sire Records (which had previously operated through its sister label
Warner Bros. Records) and was renamed Elektra Entertainment Group.
In September 1994, another damaging controversy erupted when top heavy-metal band
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
filed suit against Elektra to terminate their contract and gain ownership of their master recordings. The group based its claim on a section of the
California Labor Code, that allows employees to be released from a personal services contract after seven years. By this time, Metallica had been with the label for more than a decade and had racked up sales over 40 million records, but they were still operating under the terms of their original 1984 contract, which provided a relatively low 14% royalty rate. The group also claimed that they were taking the action because Robert Morgado had refused to honor a new deal they had worked out with Bob Krasnow shortly before he quit the label. Elektra responded by countersuing the group, but in December, ''
New York'' magazine reported rumors that then Warner Music US chairman
Doug Morris had offered the group a lucrative new deal in exchange for dropping the suit, which was reported to be even more generous than the earlier Krasnow deal. In January, the group and Elektra jointly announced that they had settled the suit, and although a nondisclosure agreement kept the terms secret, media sources claimed, "a significant increase in royalty payments to the band as well as a renegotiation of the group's recording contract were key factors in Metallica and Elektra coming to terms."
Despite having a large stable of noted acts, as the 1990s drew to a close, Elektra began to see a slump in revenue, while noticeably underperforming on the charts. It also developed a bit of a sullen reputation in the industry for not properly promoting many of its releases, thus earning the nickname "Neglektra" from several signed artists, such as
Marvelous 3
Marvelous 3 is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They are best known for their 1998 song "Freak of the Week."
History
Marvelous 3 was formed by lead singer/guitarist Butch Walker, bass guitarist Jayce Fincher, and drummer Doug Mitche ...
,
Jason Falkner, and
Greg Dulli, and was easily lagging behind its sister labels Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records.
2004–2018: Atlantic era
In February 2004,
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...
was sold by
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
to a group of private investors made up of
Thomas Lee Partners,
Bain & Company
Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. One of the Big Three management consultancies, Bain & Company was fo ...
, and
Edgar Bronfman Jr. (who assumed CEO duties).
The new owners of WMG decided to merge Elektra and Atlantic Records. Because it was the lesser performing label of the two, 40% of Elektra's operations were put into the new venture, while a commanding 60% of Atlantic's went in. Subsequently, the new company was called
Atlantic Records Group
Atlantic Records Group LLC is an umbrella label owned by Warner Music Group. It oversees several labels assigned to its Atlantic Records unit. In total, the label group has nearly three hundred artists on its roster.
History
In 2004, Time Warner ...
, with Elektra breaking off into a subsidiary that became dormant until the label was revived in 2009 (though longtime time Elektra artists such as
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
,
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
, and
Yolanda Adams continued to have releases on the label, while newer signees such as
Jason Mraz and
Jet were transferred to Atlantic).
Atlantic Records Group announced the revival of Elektra Records as an independent entity within Warner Music on June 1, 2009. The revived label is headed up by two new co-Presidents:
Mike Caren, Exec. VP of A&R for Atlantic Records, and
John Janick
John Janick is an American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records.
Janick has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 list every year since 2014 and was named Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the year in 2018 ...
, founder and President of prominent indie label
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the ...
. The revived label uses a modified version of the ''circa''-1970s Elektra logo.
The first release of the new label was the original soundtrack of the HBO show ''
True Blood'', and the first album released was
Charlotte Gainsbourg's ''
IRM''. The label is now home to artists such as
Uffie,
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ. She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco. Since performing as a solo artist she has release ...
,
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
,
Bruno Mars, and
CeeLo Green.
On October 4, 2012, Warner Music announced that
Jeff Castelaz
Jeff Castelaz founded Cast Management and co-founded The Pablove Foundation. He also Co-Founded and was CEO of Los Angeles-based Dangerbird Records, and was the president of Elektra Records.
Career beginnings
Castelaz began working in music ...
, the co-founder of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
-based independent label
Dangerbird Records, had been named president of Elektra Records. Gregg Nadel from
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...
A&R became General Manager of the label in 2015. In September 2015, Castelaz stepped down from his role at Elektra, leaving Nadel to run the label.
In 2016, Elektra's releases included ''
A/B'', the debut album by Icelandic rock band
Kaleo, which included the number-one Alternative hit "
Way Down We Go
"Way Down We Go" is a song by Icelandic rock band Kaleo, released as the second single for their first studio album '' A/B'' by Elektra Records and Atlantic Records.
Commercial performance
"Way Down We Go" peaked at No. 1 on ''Billboards ...
",
Fitz and the Tantrums
Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...
' self-titled
third album and the critically acclaimed ''Southern Family'', which garnered a 2016 CMA Nomination for "Musical Event of the Year".
Nadel was officially named president of the label in 2017.
In October 2017, Elektra Records partnered with
MSG Network
The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable prov ...
s for "Friday Night Knicks".
2018–2022: Elektra Music Group
Announced on June 18, 2018, Warner Music Group relaunched Elektra Music Group on October 1, as a stand-alone, staffed music company with the labels Black Cement, Elektra,
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the ...
(FBR),
Low Country Sound
Low Country Sound is a record label imprint of Elektra Records based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 2015 by music producer Dave Cobb who also runs it. Among the artists currently signed to Low Country Sound, some notable acts are And ...
, and
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in ...
. A handful of major artists transferred from Atlantic. This returned the group to the Warner-Elektra-Atlantic triad that had for decades marked the original company organization. Staff from Elektra, FBR, and Roadrunner labels, plus some from Atlantic, staffed the new standalone group with co-presidents Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel coming from Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner Records and Elektra, respectively, where they served as label presidents. Elektra co-presidents answered, though, to Atlantic Records Group Chairman and CEO
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was esta ...
and Chairwoman and COO Julie Greenwald.
On October 3, 2018, Elektra revealed its entire leadership team. The label group's first release was ''
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).
In geology, trenches result from ero ...
'' by
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who ...
on October 5, 2018, on
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the ...
label. Despite that, Atlantic Records is still mentioned in liner notes of the album. In 2019, the label had huge success again with
Tones and I's hit single "
Dance Monkey". In December 2019, Elektra became the distributor for
DTA Records
DTA Records (an initialism for "Don't Trust Anyone") is an American record label founded in December 2019 by Travis Barker, best known as the drummer of Blink-182. It is a joint partnership between Barker and Elektra Entertainment (a label group ...
, set up by
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
.
2022–present: 300 Elektra Entertainment
On June 22, 2022, Warner Music Group announced the creation of
300 Elektra Entertainment
300 Elektra Entertainment (or 3EE) is an umbrella label group owned by Warner Music Group. It exists as a merger of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, along with its respectively owned labels.
The umbrella label describes itself as " av ...
(3EE), a new umbrella group created from the merger of Elektra Music Group and
300 Entertainment
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, el ...
. The umbrella group means that Fueled by Ramen, Low Country Sound and Roadrunner have been placed into a singular unit with 300 Entertainment's labels. Despite this merger, WMG maintains that 300 and Elektra will be keeping their identities.
Artists
See also
*
Elektra Sound Recorders
Elektra Sound Recorders was Elektra Records's recording studio in Los Angeles, California, United States located at 962 La Cienega Boulevard. Electric Entertainment currently provides video production services at this location.
History
In 1958, J ...
References
Further reading
* Jac Holzman and Gavan Daws (1998). ''Follow the Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the Great Years of American Pop Culture''. First Media Books. .
* Mick Houghton (2010). ''Becoming Elektra''. Jawbone Press. .
External links
*
60th Anniversary- Elektra Records
Elektra discography: 1951 to 1974Elektra Records oral history*
{{Authority control
Elektra Records
American record labels
IFPI members
Labels distributed by Warner Music Group
Record labels established in 1950
Warner Music labels
1950 establishments in the United States