The Vanity Label
Encyclopedia
The Vanity Label is an American record label created by Nate Ruess and Sam Means of The Format
, the label’s only signed artist (as of 2007). The company was created by Ruess and Means subsequent the absorption of Elektra Records
into Atlantic Records Group
in 2004, as The Format was dropped from the newly formed Atlantic Records Group. The newly formed Vanity Label was created to launch their then upcoming album, and Vanity Label’s first album release, Dog Problems
.
, started by Dave Matthews
, whose parent label is Sony BMG. This trope mockery of the music industry is a recurring theme in The Format’s short history, as seen with their first single release entitled “The First Single,” and even in the band's name, which is intended as a critique of the strophic industry “format” needed for a hit single.
The Format
The Format was an American indie rock band formed by Arizona natives Nate Ruess and Sam Means. The band announced a hiatus on February 4, 2008. Their style can be considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music...
, the label’s only signed artist (as of 2007). The company was created by Ruess and Means subsequent the absorption of Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
into Atlantic Records Group
Atlantic Records Group
Atlantic Records Group is an umbrella label founded in 2004 by Warner Music Group to oversee the labels assigned to its Atlantic Records unit....
in 2004, as The Format was dropped from the newly formed Atlantic Records Group. The newly formed Vanity Label was created to launch their then upcoming album, and Vanity Label’s first album release, Dog Problems
Dog Problems
Dog Problems is the second album and fourth release by American rock band, The Format. It was released on July 11, 2006, on The Vanity Label, The Format's own record label through their management company, Nettwerk. An MP3 version of Dog Problems leaked to the internet almost two months before its...
.
The name
The name for the label (The Vanity Label) is rooted in the slang of the same name, which picks out an artist-found label-within-a-label. Such a ‘vanity label’ is made by/for a popular artist from within the record label they are signed with, primarily to promote artists he or she likes. Though the album is distributed under the parent label, the vanity label's branding adorns the records it releases. A recent example of this kind is ATO RecordsATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
, started by Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
, whose parent label is Sony BMG. This trope mockery of the music industry is a recurring theme in The Format’s short history, as seen with their first single release entitled “The First Single,” and even in the band's name, which is intended as a critique of the strophic industry “format” needed for a hit single.