19 Recordings Inc. (registered in the United Kingdom as 19 Recordings Ltd.) is a New York-based

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 ...

owned by

19 Entertainment 19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced ''Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The ''Idol serie ...

. Founded in London by British entrepreneur

Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...

in 1999 as the music division of 19 Entertainment, the label is one of the top record imprints as compiled by '' Billboard'' in 2012. 19 Recordings has the

exclusive rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power (sociology), power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny ot ...

to sign contestants of the television series '' Idols''. Since 2005, it shifted its main operations to the United States following CKX, Inc.'s (

Industrial Media Industrial Media, LLC (formerly CKX, Inc., and CORE Media Group, Inc.) is an American company founded on February 7, 2005 that owns and develops entertainment content and intellectual property. History Sports Entertainment Enterprises, Inc. era ...

) acquisition of 19 Entertainment. From 1999 to 2000,

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

has distributed its recordings. From 2001 to 2004, releases by most of the artists signed to 19 Recordings were distributed by Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). Following BMG's merger with

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

to form Sony BMG,

RCA Music Group RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009, and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 as all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA ...

has distributed releases by 19 Recordings from 2005 to 2010. From 2011 to 2016, 19 Recordings partnered with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

for distribution through Interscope Geffen A&M (2011–2014) and

Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...

(2015–2016). From 2018 to 2020,

Disney Music Group Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...

distributed releases by 19 Recordings through Hollywood Records (2017–2020). As of 2021, 19 Recordings partnered with BMG Rights Management (not to be confused with the merged Sony BMG) for distribution.

History

Fuller, who had previously managed the careers of musicians Annie Lennox,

Cathy Dennis Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was the vocalist for D Mob, which had the s ...

, and Spice Girls in the 1990s, founded 19 Recordings as the music division of 19 Entertainment. The first artist Fuller signed to 19 Recordings was the English indie band 21st Century Girls in 1999, who released its only single "21st Century Girls", which only peaked at the top 20 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The English pop group

S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The gro ...

, the second act to be signed to 19 Recordings and

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, achieved better success. S Club 7 went on to sell over 14 million albums worldwide until their disbandment in 2003. After disbanding in 1990, the British duo Eurythmics reunited in 1999 and was signed to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

and 19 Recordings, and released their final studio album ''

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

(1999) to commercial success. In 2001, Fuller created the singing competition series ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'', which became an instant success in British television and has had international versions in over 48 countries. ''Pop Idols first winner,

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Idol ...

was signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Records in 2002, became one of the most successful British recording artists of the 2000s. Young's debut single, "" Anything Is Possible"/"

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

" (2002), became the best-selling single of the 2000s, won a

BRIT Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

and an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...

. Other ''Pop Idol'' contestants signed with 19 Recordings include

Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2002. As of 2008, Gates had sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is ...

Sam & Mark Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, known collectively as Sam & Mark, or simply Smark, are an English popular music and Television presenter, television presenting Musical ensemble, duo. They previously competed on Pop Idol (series 2), the second serie ...

Michelle McManus Michelle McManus (born 8 May 1980) is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2003. McManus's debut single, " All This Time", entered the UK Singles Cha ...

, and

Sarah Whatmore Sarah Louise Whatmore (born 21 September 1981) is an English singer-songwriter, best known for appearing in the first series of the British TV series ''Pop Idol''. Whatmore later went on to launch her own solo career. Early life Whatmore was ...

, had moderate success. 19 Recordings has since retained the

to sign contestants of all versions of ''Idols'' around the world and has released compilation albums related to ''Idols'' ever since. In 2003, two members of the Spice Girls,

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

and Emma Bunton, were signed to 19 Recordings and Polydor Records. Beckham released her final single " This Groove"/

Let Your Head Go "Let Your Head Go" is a song by British singer-songwriter Victoria Beckham, intended on her unreleased second studio album. It was released as a double A-side with " This Groove" on 29 December 2003 by Telstar Records. In 2004, it was included on ...

" (2003) and Bunton released her second album, '' Free Me'' (2003), to commercial success. In 2002, ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', whose format was based on ''Pop Idol'', became one of the most successful programs in the history of American television. Its first winner,

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

, was immediately signed to RCA Records and 19 Recordings in 2002 and became 19 Recordings' most successful artist with over 20 million albums sold worldwide. Clarkson's second studio album, '' Breakaway'' (2004), also became 19 Recordings' best-selling release with worldwide sales of over 12 million copies and has won two Grammy Awards in 2006; ''Breakaway'', along with Young's second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003), both became 19 Recordings' best-selling album in the United Kingdom with sales of over 1.5 million each. Clarkson's single "

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, '' Stronger'' (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's ...

" (2012), also became 19 Recordings' best-selling single after selling over 5 million copies worldwide and has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, including

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

and Song of the Year in 2013. Other contestants from ''American Idol'', such as

Ruben Studdard Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of ''American Idol'' and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of ...

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series ''American Idol'' in ...

, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, and

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

, also followed suit with commercial success. Underwood's debut album ''

Some Hearts ''Some Hearts'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, released in the United States on November 15, 2005, by Arista Nashville. The album contains the number one country singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Do ...

'' (2005), became 19 Recordings's best-selling release in the United States with sales of 7 million copies. Beginning in 2006, 19 Recordings also began to sign artists who were unrelated to ''Idols'', such as Annie Lennox,

Amy Studt Amy Jane Studt (born 22 March 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Growing up in a musical family, with her father a violinist and conductor who had toured with Roy Orbison, and her mother a pianist, Studt began writing music at ...

Orianthi Orianthi Penny Panagaris (born 22 January 1985), known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his '' This Is It'' concert series, and performed wi ...

, and Sons of Sylvia. 19 Recordings co-released ''

The Annie Lennox Collection ''The Annie Lennox Collection'' is the first greatest hits album by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. It was released on 17 February 2009 and contains two brand-new songs, "Shining Light", originally a song by Ash, and a cover version of ...

'' (2008) with RCA Records to commercial success. Albums by Studt, Orianthi, and Sons of Sylvia were released to minimal success. In February 2014, 19 Recordings sued Sony Music Entertainment for $10 million in damages, claiming that Sony is robbing them in royalties from digital revenue from streaming platforms such as

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

, and

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

. As of January 2018, a settlement in principle was reached.

Current roster

* Noah Thompson (with Hollywood Records) *

Lauren Alaina Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth (born November 8, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower,'' was released on October ...

(with

Mercury Nashville Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records N ...

) * Laine Hardy (with Hollywood Records) * Scarypoolparty (with Hollywood Records) * Laci Kaye Booth (with BMLG Records) * Julia Gargano * Francisco Martin * Grace Leer * Dillon James (with Hollywood Records and

UMG Nashville Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records N ...

) * Chayce Beckham (with BMG) * Casey Bishop (with BMG)

Former artists

* Carrie Underwood (with

Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...

) *

(with

) *

Scotty McCreery Scott Cooke McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American country music singer. He rose to fame after winning the tenth season of ''American Idol'' on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, '' Clear as Day'', was released in October 2011 and w ...

(with Mercury Nashville) *

(with RCA) *

Kris Allen Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''. Allen's ' ...

(with Jive/RCA) * David Archuleta (with Jive) *

David Cook David Cook may refer to: Entertainment * David Cook (game designer) (active since 1980s), American game designer for TSR * David Cook (singer) (born 1982), winner of the seventh season of ''American Idol'' * David Cook (writer) (1940–2015), Briti ...

(with RCA) * Daughtry (with RCA Records) *

(with RCA) *

Bo Bice Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice Jr. (born November 1, 1975) is an American singer and musician who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to auditioning for ''American Idol'', Bice released a solo alb ...

(with RCA) * Zoe Birkett (with Universal Music) * Crystal Bowersox (with Jive) * Emma Bunton (with Polydor) *

Darius Campbell Darius Campbell Danesh (19 August 1980 – 11 August 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, actor and film producer. He first came to prominence as Darius Danesh when he appeared in the first series of '' Popstars'' in 2001, and the 2002 inau ...

(with Mercury) *

Diana DeGarmo Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of ''American Idol'', releasing her debut studio album, '' Blue Skies'', later that year. The ...

(with RCA) * Lee DeWyze (with RCA) *

Colton Dixon Michael Colton Dixon (born October 19, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He placed seventh on the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. Early life Colton Dixon was born Michael Colton Dixon on Oct ...

(with

Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by Thorn EMI in ...

) * Eurythmics (with RCA) * Nick Fradiani (with

and Republic Records) * 21st Century Girls *

(with Universal Music) *

Danny Gokey Daniel Jay Gokey (born April 24, 1980) is an American singer and former church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third-place finalist on the eighth season of ''American Idol''.

(with

RCA Nashville RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music. Current artists *Kane Brown *Andrew Jannakos *Miranda Lambert * Niko Moon (RCA/River Ho ...

) * Tamyra Gray (with RCA) *

Mike Leon Grosch Mike Leon Grosch (born 2 November 1976) is a German singer who came to fame as the runner-up of the third season of the television show ''Deutschland sucht den SuperStar'', the German version of ''Pop Idol''. Biography Grosch was born in Wuppe ...

(with Sony BMG) *

Justin Guarini Justin Guarini (born Justin Eldrin Bell; October 28, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of ''American Idol''. Early life Guarini was born in Columbus, Georgia. His father, Eldr ...

(with RCA) * Trent Harmon (with

) *

Taylor Hicks Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who won the fifth season of ''American Idol'' in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States fo ...

(with Arista) *

Allison Iraheta Allison Iraheta (; born April 27, 1992) is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to ''Idol'', Iraheta won the Telemundo competition ''Quinceañera: Mam� ...

(with Jive) *

Casey James Casey Everett James (born May 31, 1982)"Happy Birthday, Casey James and ...

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

(with RCA) *

Damien Leith Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, in Dublin) is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest ''Australian Idol 2006''. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of ...

(with Sony BMG) * Annie Lennox (with RCA) *

Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. His major label debut album '' A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' was released on December 4, 2007, through ...

(with Arista) *

Laura Marano Laura Marie Marano (born November 29, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role in the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' as Ally Dawson. Marano was one of the five original classmates in '' Are You Smarter than a ...

(with Flip Phone Records) *

(with BMG) *

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.'' Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...

(with RCA) * Chris Medina (with Interscope) * Daniele Negroni (with Universal Music) * Kurt Nilsen (with RCA) *

Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...

(with Sony Music) *

(with Geffen) * Phillip Phillips (with Interscope Records) *

Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...

(with BNA) *

Maddie Poppe Madeline Mae Poppe (born December 5, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the American Idol (season 16), season 16 winner of ''American Idol.'' She is a multi-instrumentalist—playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Prior to wi ...

(with Hollywood Records) *

Tobias Regner Tobias Regner (born 5 August 1982) is a German singer and guitarist who has enjoyed success in the rock music genre. He made his debut under major label Sony BMG Domestic after he won the highly publicized third season of the television series ...

(with Sony BMG) *

Haley Reinhart Haley Elizabeth Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter and actress from Wheeling, Illinois. She first rose to prominence after placing third in the 10th season of ''American Idol''. In July 2011, Reinhart signed a re ...

(with Interscope Records) * La'Porsha Renae (with Motown Records) * S Club (with Polydor) *

(with BMG) *

Jessica Sanchez Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. Early life Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez was born in Chula ...

Juliette Schoppmann Juliette Schoppmann (born 18 March 1980) is a German singer, songwriter and vocal coach who came to fame as the runner-up of the debut season of the television series ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. ...

(with

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomera ...

) *

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

(with Sony Music) * Jana Škoļina (with Universal Music) * Sons of Sylvia (with Interscope) *

Rachel Stevens Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album '' Funky Dory'' in Se ...

(with Polydor) *

(with

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

) * Pia Toscano (with Interscope) *

(with RCA) *

(with RCA)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1999 American independent record labels British independent record labels Companies based in New York (state) 1999 establishments in New York (state)

History

Current roster

Former artists

See also

References

External links