Interscope Records
Encyclopedia
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group
that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M
label group.
and Interscope Communications' Ted Field
with financial support from Atlantic Records
(which owned a 53% stock in the label). Initially it was distributed by the Atlantic Records subsidiary East West Records America
. A&R Executive John McClain and producer Beau Hill were also part of the original founding team.
The original focus of the label was on hip-hop and urban music, but by the mid 2000s its range began to expand, to extent where its roster would be as wide ranging to include the industrial rock
artist Nine Inch Nails
(Nothing Records
), shock rocker Marilyn Manson
, Limp Bizkit
, Helmet
, No Doubt
and later the Latin
artist Kings Of Flow in a unique partnership with Los Angeles based indie Latin label.
Following UMG's acquisition of PolyGram
in 1998, Geffen Records
and A&M Records
were merged into Interscope. In 2004, DreamWorks Records was merged into the Interscope-Geffen-A&M group bringing over artists including Blink-182
, Papa Roach
, Rise Against
, Nelly Furtado
, Lifehouse
, AFI
, The All-American Rejects
, Jimmy Eat World
and Rufus Wainwright
(the artists were divided between Interscope and Geffen, with most going to the latter). In 2005 Interscope launched a new imprint called Cherrytree Records
, for emerging artists; beginning with group The Lovemakers
and later including Far East Movement
, Feist, Flipsyde
, Tokio Hotel
, Mindless Behavior
, JoJo, Roscoe Dash, Culice Damani, and Robyn
. Lady Gaga was with Interscope, but no longer with Cherrytree .
In May 2007 Interscope announced a joint-venture partnership with Justin Timberlake
to create a new recording label called Tennman Records
, with the first artist being Esmee Denters
. On October 12, 2011, South Korean girl group Girls' Generation
, in association of SM Entertainment's United States-subsidiary, SM Entertainment USA, officially signed for Interscope for the release of the English-language version
of their upcoming third Korean studio album, The Boys
.
has criticized Interscope for its use of Tupac Shakur
's music in his song "Child Support".
Nine Inch Nails
frontman Trent Reznor
has also criticized Universal Music Group for overcharging for his album Year Zero
in Australia. When he asked why it was so much, they replied "you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that [...] True fans will pay whatever". Nine Inch Nails is now a part of their own record label The Null Corporation
and no longer associates with Interscope.
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Interscope-Geffen-A&M is an umbrella label, owned by Universal Music Group. The company was formed in 1999, when Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope Records—the flagship imprint of the operation....
label group.
History
Interscope was founded in 1990 by Jimmy IovineJimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
and Interscope Communications' Ted Field
Ted Field
Frederick Woodruff "Ted" Field is an American media mogul and entrepreneur and film producer.-Biography:Field was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the son of Katherine Woodruff Fanning, an editor of the Christian Science Monitor, and Marshall Field IV, who owned the Chicago Sun-Times. He is...
with financial support from Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
(which owned a 53% stock in the label). Initially it was distributed by the Atlantic Records subsidiary East West Records America
East West Records
East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...
. A&R Executive John McClain and producer Beau Hill were also part of the original founding team.
The original focus of the label was on hip-hop and urban music, but by the mid 2000s its range began to expand, to extent where its roster would be as wide ranging to include the industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
artist Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
(Nothing Records
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992...
), shock rocker Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
, Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
and later the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
artist Kings Of Flow in a unique partnership with Los Angeles based indie Latin label.
Following UMG's acquisition of PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
in 1998, Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
and A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
were merged into Interscope. In 2004, DreamWorks Records was merged into the Interscope-Geffen-A&M group bringing over artists including Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
, Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...
, Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
, AFI
AFI (band)
AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
, The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....
, Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
and Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
(the artists were divided between Interscope and Geffen, with most going to the latter). In 2005 Interscope launched a new imprint called Cherrytree Records
Cherrytree Records
Cherrytree Records is an American record label and is an imprint of Interscope Records.-History:Cherrytree Records was founded in 2005 by Martin Kierszenbaum, being German for cherry tree...
, for emerging artists; beginning with group The Lovemakers
The Lovemakers
The Lovemakers were an electropop/New Wave band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in the spring of 2002 by Scott Blonde and Lisa Light who are the two core members. Light and Blonde met in 2002 via Blonde's manager, who Light was dating at the time...
and later including Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
, Feist, Flipsyde
Flipsyde
Flipsyde is a rap/R&B/rock band from Oakland, California. Flipsyde consists of singer/guitarist Steve Knight, guitarist Dave Lopez, rapper Jinho "the Piper" Ferreira, and for a short while Chantelle Paige. They have toured extensively with Fort Minor, The Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg and on the...
, Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel is a pop rock band from Germany, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing...
, Mindless Behavior
Mindless Behavior
Mindless Behavior is an American boy band, best known for the singles "My Girl" and "Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Walter Millsap and Vincent Herbert , and the band trained in dance and singing for two years before...
, JoJo, Roscoe Dash, Culice Damani, and Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
. Lady Gaga was with Interscope, but no longer with Cherrytree .
In May 2007 Interscope announced a joint-venture partnership with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
to create a new recording label called Tennman Records
Tennman Records
Tennman Records is an American record label created as a joint venture between Justin Timberlake and Interscope Records.-History:The label was announced in a press release dated May 28, 2007....
, with the first artist being Esmee Denters
Esmée Denters
Esmée Denters is a Dutch singer-songwriter. She was a regular cover-artist on video-sharing website YouTube on which she covered songs by contemporary musicians like Justin Timberlake and Natasha Bedingfield....
. On October 12, 2011, South Korean girl group Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
, in association of SM Entertainment's United States-subsidiary, SM Entertainment USA, officially signed for Interscope for the release of the English-language version
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
of their upcoming third Korean studio album, The Boys
The Boys (Girls' Generation album)
The Boys is the third studio album by the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released on October 19, 2011 in South Korea...
.
Criticism
Rapper Ice CubeIce Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
has criticized Interscope for its use of Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
's music in his song "Child Support".
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
frontman Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
has also criticized Universal Music Group for overcharging for his album Year Zero
Year Zero (album)
Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released on April 17, 2007, by Interscope Records. Frontman Trent Reznor wrote the album's music and lyrics while touring in support of the group's previous release, With Teeth...
in Australia. When he asked why it was so much, they replied "you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that [...] True fans will pay whatever". Nine Inch Nails is now a part of their own record label The Null Corporation
The Null Corporation
The Null Corporation is an independent record label which releases the work of Nine Inch Nails and How to Destroy Angels. The Nine Inch Nails albums, Ghosts I–IV and The Slip, have been released in physical formats under the Null Corporation imprint...
and no longer associates with Interscope.