Magnet Records was a British

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 ...

, started in 1973 by Michael Levy and

Peter Shelley Peter Shelley ( Peter Alexander Southworth; 28 February 1943 – 23 March 2023) was a British pop singer, songwriter, and music business executive. As a performer in the 1970s, he had UK hits with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog". He also ...

. It was acquired by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

in 1988 for an estimated £10m. Artists on the label included

Alvin Stardust Bernard William Jewry (27 September 1942 – 23 October 2014), known professionally as Shane Fenton and later as Alvin Stardust, was an English rock singer and stage actor. Performing first as Shane Fenton in the 1960s, Jewry had a moderately s ...

, Stevenson's Rocket,

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designed ...

Adrian Baker Adrian Baker (born 18 January 1951, London) is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. Career Baker made his debut as a singer on Magnet Records/Epic Records in the United Kingdom. In 1975, he released his first solo album, ''Into ...

Silver Convention Silver Convention were a German Euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention or Silver Bird. Career The group was initiated in Munich by producers and songwriters Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze ...

Guys 'n' Dolls Guys 'n' Dolls were a UK pop group, initially comprising a three-girl/three-boy line-up and later becoming two-girl/two-boy. In the mid-1970s, they scored UK top-ten hits with the singles " There's a Whole Lot of Loving" and "You Don't Have to ...

Darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...

Kissing the Pink Kissing the Pink are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in London in 1980. The current members are lead singer and guitarist Nick Whitecross, keyboardist Jon Kingsley Hall, second keyboardist George Stewart, and guitarist Simon ...

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...

David D'Or David D'Or ( he, דוד ד'אור; born David Nehaisi on October 2, 1965) is an Israeli singer, composer, and songwriter. A countertenor with a vocal range of more than four octaves, he is a three-time winner of the Israeli "Singer of the Year" a ...

Blue Zoo Blue Zoo are an English new wave band, active between 1980 and 1985, and again since 2010. Career Formed in 1980, their original band name was Modern Jazz, and they released two singles titled "In My Sleep (I Shoot Sheep)" and "Ivory Towers" ...

and

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, fie ...

, who all achieved success during the 1970s and 1980s. Successful 1990s band D:Ream were signed to a later incarnation of the label. Music management expert

Kim Glover Kim Glover is an English music manager best known for overseeing the careers of PJ & Duncan (Ant & Dec), B*Witched, New Kids on The Block, Snap, Tiffany, Let Loose and D-Side, as well as helping to manage and develop the careers of Whitney ...

began her music career working for Michael Levy in the radio promotions department, and eventually ended up as Head of TV and Radio for Magnet, creating campaigns for all the artists signed to the label.

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...

also worked for the label during the mid-1970s, as his first break in the recording business. The unrelated British reggae label Magnet Records was started in 1971Discogs.com by R. A. Coke, and was based in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

References

British record labels Record labels established in 1973 Record labels disestablished in 1988 Warner Records IFPI members {{UK-record-label-stub