Zomba Music Group
Encyclopedia
The Zomba Group of Companies (sometimes referred to as Zomba Music Group or just Zomba Group) was a music group and division which was owned by and operated under Sony Music Entertainment
. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was placed under the RCA/Jive Label Group umbrella. In 2011, the RCA/Jive Label Group was split in half. Multiple Jive Label Group artists were moved to Epic Records
while others stayed with Jive as it moved under the RCA Music Group
. In October 2011 Jive Records was shut down and their artists were moved to RCA Records
.
Founded independently in the mid-seventies by Clive Calder
and Ralph Simon
, the group has had interests in music release, distribution, production, publishing, equipment rental, recording studios, and artist management. Though the financial structure and annual revenue of Zomba during the company's independent period was probably only known to CEO Clive Calder
(the company was registered privately offshore in the Dutch Antilles), Zomba was widely regarded as the most successful of the independent music companies
.
The group is probably best known for its role in developing some of the most popular forms of music, such as and hip-hop in the 1980s, and the teen pop
/boy band
phenomenon in the late 1990s through their first record label Jive
, though they have also had substantial activities in both the Christian and gospel music field. Calder and Simon both served as CEO's until 1990 when Calder bought out Simon's share and ran the company himself until 2002. In 2002, BMG purchased the company and subsequently restructured the labels under the umbrella company Zomba Label Group, which was the most public face of the company. The label group served as a parent for many different labels including Jive, Silvertone
, Volcano and LaFace
.
Early companies formed by Calder and Simon were Sagittarius Management and Clive Calder Productions (CCP). CCP was distributed by EMI Records South Africa who purchased the company in 1972. Although Calder has no stake in it now, it still exists as a wholly owned subsidiary of EMI, specializing in the recording, development and marketing of domestic artists. Calder's relationship with EMI began when he had been an A&R Manager at EMI South Africa for eighteen months. There he had signed some big groups for the time such as Freedom's Children and the Otis Waygood Blues Band. During this time, Calder was also a bassist in a few bands. He formed the Four Dukes and the In Crowd with EMI artist Peter Vee, whom he also produced. Calder eventually paired Lee with a young producer named Mutt Lange, who began producing songs for Calder at CCP, including the local hit "Sunday Monday Tuesday" by Jessica Jones.
Next, Calder and Simon began looking for songwriters. The first was Henri Belolo
, the French producer who helped create the Village People
. Zomba became the disco
group's British publisher. Though the band had been turned down by a few UK labels, Calder and Simon thought they could retain the most control of Zomba if they stayed in the publishing and management business, allowing other labels to release their artist's music. Meanwhile, Lange was building a name for himself as a producer, with albums by the Boomtown Rats, Graham Parker
and eventually AC/DC's
1979 Highway to Hell
, his breakthrough album. This led to Lange becoming one of the worlds leading hard-rock producers, later adding Def Leppard
, Foreigner
and Bryan Adams
to his resume. For Zomba, this meant increased exposure and credibility leading to many new producer and songwriter management deals. Additionally, artists would sign publishing deals, giving their publishing company a constantly burgeoning collection.
In early 1978, Zomba opened offices in New York City
and began looking for more artists and songwriters. Clive Davis
was one of the first to contact the group, who used his recently formed Arista Records
to distribute Zomba artists. The first major signing was Billy Ocean
. Over the next few years, Zomba's songwriters hit it big and the publishing profits kicked in, marking the beginning of the company's first major expansion into record labels. Though Davis wanted Calder to head his West Coast A&R operations, Calder had a different plans altogether, and instead presented Jive Records
to Davis.
, A Flock of Seagulls
and Tight Fit
. By 1982, Calder was introduced to a young fresh college graduate named Barry Weiss
who, for his job interview with Zomba, took Calder out to hip-hop and black clubs all over New York City. Calder was immediately impressed with the man and had him scanning sales data all over the country searching for unknown acts on small labels selling large numbers. Calder got one of his songwriters Thomas Dolby
to create a catchy hook for a local DJ Mr. Magic
to rap over. Mr. Magic had to cancel at the last minute, but fortunately he knew another rapper, Jalil Hutchins. Weiss's stress level shot up when Hutchins came to the session with another unknown rapper named Ecstasy and no rhymes. After two days, the group created and recorded "Magic's Wand" which turned into a hit single. Weiss named the group Houdini, but Calder changed it to Whodini
. Calder flew the group to London to record an album, then to Germany to record with producer Konrad "Conny" Plank
of Devo
and Ultravox
fame. While the group would eventually leave Jive after a few albums, the early success resulted in Jive becoming a label with a focus on hip-hop artists throughout eighties. At a time when the record establishment wouldn't touch "ghetto" music like rap, a white South African successfully marketed some of the edgiest black music.
After Whodini, Jive began signing other rap artists into the later half of the decade. Boogie Down Productions
was signed on the strength of their first record Criminal Minded
, and their Jive debut By All Means Necessary
was released in 1988. Young West Coast
rapper Too Short was picked up by Jive after his independently released Born to Mack
sold over 50,000 copies. Jive gave the album national distribution which led to gold status, and then quickly issued his follow up Life Is...Too Short which achieved platinum status. Meanwhile, Jive signed DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
in 1986 and released their debut Rock the House
. The duo was a great success for Jive, helping make rap more accessible.
Jive continued supporting rap artists into the nineties. Most of the aforementioned groups continued on Jive into the next decade. KRS-One
, the primary force behind Boogie Down Productions, released a string solo albums with Jive beginning with Return of the Boom Bap
in 1993. In 1991, Jive signed R&B artist R. Kelly
who, along with his backing band Public Announcement
, released their debut Born into the 90's in early 1992. R. Kelly's began his solo career with 12 Play
in 1993 and continues to release with Jive today. A Tribe Called Quest
was signed by Jive in 1989 following a successful independently released single "Description of a Fool." Their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
was released by Jive in 1990 and framed the group as one of the most intelligent rap groups. Many other rap and R&B artists were signed throughout the eighties and nineties before the teen-pop explosion in the later half of the decade.
Building on the successes of the Jive label, Zomba began expanding its reach by purchasing and creating new labels, and by creating new divisions that helped expose more people to Zomba artists and services. In 1988, Andrew Lauder
formed the UK based Silvertone Records
under the Zomba Group. While Jive focused on hip-hop, Silvertone focused on more rock oriented music. The labels roster was initially bolstered by The Stone Roses
, but quickly expanded to include blues, acoustic, and roots music. Other artists featured early on Silvertone include John Lee Hooker
, J.J. Cale
and The Men They Couldn't Hang
. This period also saw one of the few times that Zomba attempted cracking the classical music
market. In 1992, Zomba purchased UK classical music group Conifer Classics with the aide of the group's head Alison Wenham. Though the deal seemed to be solid, Zomba sold the company to BMG in 1995. Classical music activities have remained minimal within the company since then. Building on a existing publishing deals, Zomba briefly co-owned the UK label Sanctuary Records
. While the co-ownership only lasted between 1989 and 1991, the two companies continued dealing together in other avenues, including a publishing deal with Sanctuary artists Iron Maiden
. In 1998, Zomba purchased a 50% stake in the troubled label Volcano Entertainment (called Freeworld
at the time). The label had been under financial pressure due to various reasons, including a lawsuit from flagship artist Tool
. The purchase was shared with management from Q-Prime, though shortly after they sold their half to Zomba, making Volcano a wholly owned subsidiary. The first action was to settle the lawsuit with Tool, who would go on to become another Zomba success throughout the 2000s, representing the broad stylistic reach of artists under the Zomba Group.
In 1993, Zomba created Zomba! Music Services in order to facilitate publishing rights for those in the film and television industry. The division would act as a channel through which clients could acquire products and services from any company within Zomba. Songs published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd., or released on any of the Zomba labels, or specialty recordings owned by the division itself could be sourced for inclusion on film soundtracks, television shows or commercials. This move gave Zomba profits by providing an accessible method of accessing the company's vast publishing catalogue.
The year 1994 saw the first of many of Zomba's successful forays into the Christian music scene with the purchase of the Brentwood Music Group. Brentwood was an established company consisting of an extensive Christian distribution network, several labels, and one of the largest music publishing divisions in printed choral music in the U.S. Expanding on the Brentwood purchase, Zomba purchased the Christian label group Reunion Records
from BMG in October 1996 In 1997, Zomba purchased yet another Christian music affiliated company, the Benson Music Group
from Music Entertainment Group. Benson became Zomba's third label to focus on Christian music following Brentwood Music, Reunion Records. An important asset of the Brentwood acquisition was the publishing arm, originally founded in 1902, that included 46,000 copyrights from artists such as Elvis Presley
, Dolly Parton
, Linda Ronstadt
, and Willie Nelson
.
In reaction to the surge in Christian oriented labels gathered over so few years, Zomba created the Provident Music Group
in June 1997. The Nashville based group was led by Jim Van Hook and was essentially a continuation of the Brentwood group and an amalgamation of the other Christian oriented labels. The group consisted of the Benson, Brentwood and Reunion groups, as well as the Brentwood/Benson Publishing Group and newly formed Provident Music Distribution arms. This new group allowed the three main sublabels to have unified resources and distribution while still retaining their unique personalities in the market.
In 1996, Zomba acquired the Windsong Holdings which gave them control of many new companies including Windsong International, Pinnacle Entertainment and Music For Nations
. It also gave them control of the established music company Rough Trade
(80% of Rough Trade Records Germany
/Switzerland
/Austria
(GSA) and 100% of Rough Trade Benelux
). Rough Trade was primarily known as a distributor, but it also ran many electronic
labels based in Germany. In July 1999, Rough Trade GSA was renamed Zomba Records GmbH, while the Benelux operation (which only had distribution at the time) was absorbed into Zomba Distribution. The Rough Trade name remained as an imprint of Zomba Records GmbH, but was largely abandoned by Zomba.
With the successful integration of Rough Trade into its operations in the GSA region and Benelux and to expand on recent teen pop successes, Zomba created a London-based international label group, Zomba International Records Group. Directed by Stuart Watson, the new organization allowed each new local territory to freely sign and develop acts on their own. If those artists could create a strong regional profile, it would be possibly to "export" them to Zomba International for broader exposure. Simultaneously, it allowed Zomba artists increased international exposure. The expansion was largely unhampered, save for some legal issues with the Australian branch. Australian record company Festival Mushroom Group lost at least a dozen employees to Zomba in early 1999, and placed an injunction that stopped them from soliciting Mushroom employees, and accused former employee Scott Murphy of trying to bolster Zomba's presence while still working for Mushroom. However, the issue was resolved fairly amicably and ended with a distribution deal with BFM Distribution (a joint venture of Festival Mushroom Group and BMG).
As the record industry began evolving due to the widespread use of the Internet, and the increasing ease with which artists can record at home, Zomba made moves that illustrated their desire to change with the times. In 2000, they joined the growling list of record companies that made some music available via digital download with online distribution company Amplified Entertainment. In 2002, Zomba joined majors EMI, Universal and BMG, with approving some of their Jive catalog for release on the new DataPlay
media. Though the media was largely unsuccessful, the move illustrated Zomba's competitiveness with the major labels in the growing digital world. However, a negative outcome of the changing times was the closing of some of Zomba's Battery Studios and Dreamline equipment rental businesses towards the end of 2001.
. Pearlman had put together a new group, Backstreet Boys
, which was languishing on Mercury
without any hits. He presented the group to Calder along with David McPherson
. Though initially uninterested due to the dominance of grunge and alternative rock, Calder thought that the group could help expand his operations overseas. Mercury bought out the boys contract for $35,000 and moved over to Zomba imprint Jive
. Calder immediately sent the group to Sweden and matched them with a group of producers recently found by Zomba scouts: Dag Volle
and Martin Sandberg
. In mid-1995, the band recorded their three songs including their first single at Cheiron Studios
in Stockholm
. Next Calder matched them with an old friend, Stuart Watson, who ran SWAT Enterprises, a company specializing in promotion in Asia. The group went to Asia began touring relentlessly and released their first album
which sold one million copies in three weeks. In 1997, when Calder thought the grunge phenomenon had sufficiently passed, he took the group back over to the United States where their North American debut
ended up selling upwards of 14 million copies, creating the first in a run of many hits that Zomba and the Backstreet Boys would enjoy together.
While Pearlman and Watson were breaking the Backstreet Boys overseas, Jive A&R man Steve Lunt was busy in the US seeking a female star, and was greeted with fifteen-year old Britney Spears
. Initially horrified by Spears karaoke demo
of a Toni Braxton
song sung in the wrong register, Lunt was intrigued by a brief moment at the end where he heard the "kind of soul she had." As was the virtually the standard at Zomba, Lunt took Spears to in-house songwriter and producer Eric Foster White in the company's publishing division, and the two recorded "You Got It All
." Like the Backstreet Boys, Spears was hooked up with Cheiron producer Max Martin
. Within thirty days of letting a music director at Star 100.7
in San Diego hear "...Baby One More Time
," the song was number one on the charts.
In 1999 Zomba was involved in a "boy band controversy" when trying to sign another group that Pearlman had put together himself, *NSYNC. *NSYNC had recently left RCA due to allegations that Pearlman had taken approximately 50% of their profits and not the one-sixth that he had agreed to. Seeing the group as a "free-agent," Jive quickly signed them and prepared to release their next album. On 12 October, Pearlman's company Trans Continental, in conjunction with RCA owner BMG Entertainment and BMG Ariola Munich sued Jive Records, Clive Calder, and the members of *NSYNC for $150 million citing, among other things, breach of contract. Pearlman sought an injunction against the release of the bands' new album and that the recordings be given to him, but it was denied in court. As a response to the suit, and in reference to treatment by Trans Continental's , *NSYNC released a statement citing the company's poor conduct as "the most glaring, overt, and callous example of artist exploitation that the music industry has seen in a long time." The lawsuit was settled on 23 December with undisclosed terms, but left Jive free to release future *NSYNC albums.
The lawsuit, which Rolling Stone
called "the music industry's nastiest legal skirmishes in years," was problematic for Zomba for two main reasons. First, having heard that 'N Sync was signed to Jive, the Backstreet Boys did not want to be a part of the label anymore. Second, the lawsuit temporarily strained Zomba's relationship with BMG, whose distribution deal with Zomba was coming to a close. Jive initially announced that they would not renew their deal with BMG, but reconsidered following the lawsuit with BMG and Trans Continental. The distribution deal may have been a determining factor in the outcome of the lawsuit, since distributed Zomba product accounted for 5.5% of BMG's US market share, and company CEO Strauss Zelnick was under pressure not to lose that. They also signed a new deal with the Backstreet Boys that gave the band 20% of their royalties.
and buy the remaining shares it did not already own before 31 December 2002. In June 2002, Clive Calder decided to exercise the put option. Effective 26 November 2002, BMG Entertainment concluded its deal with Zomba for the purchase of the company's entire assets. While Calder had originally requested $3.2 billion for his shares in Zomba, various estimates of the label's value were was varied from only as much as $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion. Following the purchase negotiations, a price of $2.74 billion was agreed upon, the biggest purchase of an independent at the time. Zomba's sale had been the latest in a series of independent label sellouts including Island Records and Geffen Records (both sold to Universal for $300 million and $550 million respectively), and Virgin (sold for $950 million to EMI).
Initially, BMG took its time in integrating Zomba with the rest of its labels, hoping that the former independent would lift BMGs worldwide rank from fifth to fourth-largest record company. Calder resigned his position as CEO immediately after the purchase, but stayed on in an advisory position for about another year. In mid 2003, BMG began its worldwide integration of Zomba cutting hundreds of jobs through the consolidation of regional operations. While many of the key managers stayed, and the large offices in the US and the UK remained operational, all of the other regional offices were assimilated into BMG. In addition to the regional mergers, the Zomba and BMG publishing companies were integrated. The US and UK offices remained as stand-alone units, but many of the back-office functions were consolidated into BMG. The Provident Music Group, Zomba's foray into the Christian music market, was reassigned as a RCA sub-label. By 2004, the record labels were reorganized under the Zomba Label Group.
In 2004, BMG
and Sony Music Entertainment
merged to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment
taking Zomba with it. Though the merger was plagued with controversy and eventually ended with Sony buying out BMG's stake in late 2008, Zomba executives continued to expand the company's operations in various aspects. In 2007, as part of Sony BMG integration and consolidation, RCA Music Group and Zomba Label Group merged their international, sales and field staffs to form the BMG Label Group under Sony BMG. RCA and Zomba kept separate groups under BMG, but this configuration was short-lived due to the dissolution of the Sony BMG merger. Zomba is currently owned wholly by, and operates under Sony.
On 2 November 2004 the American Federation of Musicians
announced that it had entered into an agreement with Zomba. Effective 1 January 2005, the labor union covered all artists on any Zomba subsidiary labels (and any future labels) under the Federation's Sound Recording Labor Agreement. The deal ensured that all artists under the Zomba aegis would receive, for the first time, a full range of benefits and protections, among which are scale payments, industry standard working conditions and pension contributions.
In 2005, Zomba formed Zomba Gospel under the Zomba Label Group in an effort to collate its recently expanding gospel labels. Zomba's interest in gospel began in the form of a distribution deal with GospoCentric Records
(and sublabel B'Rite Music) in October 2001, which Zomba later purchased in 2004. Verity Records president Max Siegel was charged with heading the new entity which included Zomba labels Verity and GospoCentric, as well as four artist owned imprints: Quiet Water Entertainment (Donald Lawrence
), Fo Yo Soul Entertainment (Kirk Franklin
), New Life Records (John P. Kee
) and F. Hammond Music (Fred Hammond
). Distribution was handled by Provident-Integrity for the Christian Bookselling Association, and through Sony Distribution (formerly Sony BMG) for the mainstream market.
Zomba's publishing division also continued its expansion. In 2006, Zomba Music Publishing purchased the catalog of the UK based Strongsongs Music Publishing from the Telstar Music Group. This large acquisition gave expanded Zomba's rights to many international hitmakers to include Metallica
, Craig David
and Dannii Minogue
among others. Beginning with the appointment of David Mantel in 2005 as the head of Zomba Music Publishing US operations, the company began to take a different signing approach that focused on unknown or unsigned artists. Mantel's first signing was T-Pain
, whose two singles "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" hit number 8 and 5 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. This type of signing was also used in the records division were artists or producers were given their own imprint. In October 2008, Zomba made an all-inclusive multiyear joint-venture deal with Hitz Committee Entertainment, and imprint in the making for almost 5 years by Jive A&R VP Micky "MeMpHiTz" Wright. Beginning in 2008, Hitz Committee consists of a record label under Sony, music production, music publishing, artist and producer management, and TV and film projects.
The structure of the Zomba Group during the independent era (1975 to 2002) is difficult to pinpoint exactly due to the private nature of Clive Calder's managing style. During that period, Calder's private investment group Summer Shore NV
controlled the Zomba group. The company began as Zomba Management and Publishers as early as 1975. They expanded to the US, first with a publishing sector in 1978, then a records division in 1981 while the management and publishing divisions became separate companies. Also sometime during that period, they started a production division initially called Zomba Productions Ltd., which would become Zomba Recording Corporation. From a legal standpoint, Zomba's holdings
are divided into their music publishing business (Zomba Music Holdings BV) and music recording business (Zomba Record Holdings BV). The former holds only music publishing (i.e., written music) rights, while the latter holds all of the recorded music rights, along with some publishing groups acquired over the years. In addition to those two, there is another holding company called Zomba Entertainment Holdings BV. Below is a breakdown of most of the companies and divisions that have been owned by Zomba. Since the BMG integration in mid-2003, and further integration into Sony Music in early 2009, the exact status of some companies is not known. As much detail has been provided to illustrate the current status of these companies.
Zomba's first, and flagship label is Jive, formed in 1981. Since then, Zomba has acquired and created a variety of labels and label groups that either operate independent from, or under Jive. During its independent period, the various record labels under Zomba all reported directly to a records division. There was no formal public face for the labels until BMG formed Zomba Label Group in 2004. Though the term "Zomba label group" or "Zomba Group records division" had been used previously to refer to the various labels owned by the company, it wasn't until then that an actual company was created to control the labels specifically. The Zomba Recording Corporation continues to coordinate production activities on many Zomba subsidiary releases.
From 1981 until 1987, Zomba labels were distributed by Arista
. Following that, Zomba signed a deal with RCA
for distribution that lasted until 1991. The end of the deal coincided with BMG purchasing a large share of RCA and a deal with BMG was signed for distribution. BMG remained the North American distributor for Zomba until after the purchase in 2002, however, other regions had various other distributors over time. EMI
became an important distributor for Zomba in Europe via Virgin Records
, but distribution details are listed below in the Regional Branches section. Zomba only controls one small vinyl pressing plant, therefore, most of their manufacturing has been outsourced to companies such as Sonopress (BMG affiliated), Sony and Technicolor.
In 1996, Zomba acquired 75% of UK distributor and label group Pinnacle, 80% of the Rough Trade label and distribution in the Germany/Switzerland/Austria (GSA) region, and 100% of Rough Trade Benelux. Effective 8 July 1999 Rough Trade Records was renamed Zomba Records GmbH and the Rough Trade sales and distribution arm was renamed Zomba Distribution, operating as a division of Zomba Records GmbH. As of the BMG purchase, Zomba conducted its own distribution in the UK (with Pinnacle), Germany, Austria and Benelux (all with Zomba Distribution). In those areas, Zomba also distributed for other, smaller independent labels. In France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, Zomba had its own marketing and sales, however, distribution was handled by EMI (through Virgin in most cases). In Finland and Greece, Zomba material was exclusively licensed to EMI who controlled marketing, sales and distribution. North American distribution has almost exclusively been with BMG. Following the BMG purchase in December 2002 and subsequent integration in June 2003 and the end of contracts with EMI (also in June), all distribution has been handled by the local BMG companies. When BMG merged with Sony, Sony BMG became Zomba's distributor from 2004 until early 2009. Since then, Zomba products have been distributed by Sony Music since Sony purchased BMG's interest in their joint-venture.
Primarily a production company, Zomba Recording Corporation coordinates various activities for the recording process including hiring musicians, managing studios, and organizing production, mixing and mastering personnel. Recordings made under the coordination or supervision of this division are usually marked with the phrase "An Original Sound Recording Made by Zomba Recording Corporation (or Zomba Recordings LLC/Zomba Records Limited/Zomba Productions Limited)." While not strictly a record label, Zomba Recording Corporation appears on most of the various sublabels that Zomba owns. Additionally, the minimal manufacturing as well as some distribution that Zomba does on its own is run through this company.
Battery Studios is the name of Zomba Recording Corporation's chain of multi-room facilities often used in the production of Zomba artists. The main facility, located in New York City, is constantly associated with high profile clients including R. Kelly
, 'N Sync
and Britney Spears
. The studio features three recording and mixing studios with SSL 9000, SSL 4064 G+ and Euphonix CS3000 consoles and Pro Tools
MIXplus systems. Battery Studios was originally opened in London before the New York branch existed, and at one point consisted of six locations in London, four New York locations, two Nashville locations, and one location in Chicago. However, Zomba closed its London branches towards the end of 2001 and the others followed soon after leaving only an unknown number of New York locations. In addition to Battery studios, Zomba Recording Corporation began a relationship with the established Swedish studio Cheiron Studios
and its production personnel. The studio had operated since the mid eighties (as SweMix), and from 1996 until its closure in 2000 it shared a joint production and publishing venture with the Zomba Group. Apart from the actual studio, the venture included a production team that helped forge the sounds of Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and 'N Sync.
In addition to recording studios, Zomba Recording Corporation operated Dreamhire Equipment Rental service. Dreamhire opened in 1984 with operations in London
, New York City
and Nashville. The London branch closed in 2001 followed by the Nashville one in 2003. Dreamhire also included Hilton Sound, a hire operation purchased by Zomba in 1996. Since November 2003 following the BMG purchase, Dreamhire is no longer a part of Zomba and runs independently as Dreamhire LLC from one location in New York City.
is unrelated to the previous defunct imprint
of the same name. Listed below is the structure of the Zomba Label Group immediately before its rebranding and dissolution in 2009.
As part of the music group, Zomba amalgamated their Christian labels under the Provident Label Group. The new group initially consisted of Brentwood Records, Benson Records and Reunion Records, though Brentwood was shut down in 2001. Since then, other labels have been added. Under Zomba, the Provident Label Group had this configuration:
After BMG bought Zomba in 2002 and integrated the company in June 2003, the Provident Music Group was moved under the aegis of RCA
with the exception of the Publishing division which was moved under BMG Publishing (Provident would later create its own publishing division, Essential Music Publishing, with no connection to Zomba). BMG Publishing was subsequently sold to Universal, along with Brentwood/Benson. In 2008, when Sony bought Bertelsmann's stake in their joint Sony BMG venture, the rest of Provident became part of Sony Music Nashville.
Rough Trade GSA was renamed Zomba Records GmbH, while the Benelux operation (which only had distribution at the time) was absorbed into Zomba Distribution. The Rough Trade name only remained as an imprint of Zomba Records GmbH. Before being absorbed into BMG's operations, Zomba Records GmbH consisted of the following regional labels, most of which focused on electronic dance music
:
Zomba Records GmbH was integrated into BMG's German operation along with the other regional offices. The Rough Trade name was later reacquired by Geoff Travis
and Jeanette Lee who eventually continued it independently. When BMG restructured Zomba in 2003, Windsong/Pinnacle was moved under Bertelsmann's
Arvato AG. Through a management buyout
, Windsong/Pinnacle gained its independence in early 2008, but was forced into administration late in the year due to the economic crisis.
affiliate. The holding company that controls most Zomba publishing interests is called Zomba Music Holdings BV. David Mantel has been the president of Zomba Music Publishing since 2005, when he took over for Richard Blackstone. Tim Smith is the GM of the UK affiliate Zomba Music Publishing Ltd. There are various other publishing entities under Zomba, some of which are vast libraries acquired over the years, and some of which are small groups, sometimes representing a single artist. Below is a list of Zomba's publishing subsidiaries:
Zomba has almost little activity in the classical music publishing sector, however, they are quite active in the pop music publishing and produced music publishing. At the time of the BMG purchase, Zomba had pop music publishing operations located in the UK and Benelux, while every other territory was sub-published with BMG. Produced music publishing operations were located in the UK and France with smaller operations in Sweden and the Netherlands. In Germany and Austria, Zomba and BMG owned publishing rights through jointly-owned companies. Finally, in Spain and Italy, Zomba publications were licensed exclusively to BMG.
In mid 2003, BMG integrated Zomba's publishing to form BMG-Zomba Music Publishers. In 2007, Vivendi
purchased the BMG-Zomba publishing company and placed it within Universal Music Publishing Group
, becoming the worlds leading music publishing business.
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was placed under the RCA/Jive Label Group umbrella. In 2011, the RCA/Jive Label Group was split in half. Multiple Jive Label Group artists were moved to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
while others stayed with Jive as it moved under the RCA Music Group
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 until all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA Records....
. In October 2011 Jive Records was shut down and their artists were moved to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
Founded independently in the mid-seventies by Clive Calder
Clive Calder
Clive Calder is a South African-born and UK based record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group and its subsidiary Jive Records. The relocation of Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr...
and Ralph Simon
Ralph Simon
Ralph Simon is regarded as a founder in the modern Mobile Entertainment Industry.Simon co-founded the independent Zomba Group of music companies with Clive Calder in the 1970s. In the mid-90s, he was Executive Vice President of Capitol Records and Blue Note Records in Hollywood and started EMI...
, the group has had interests in music release, distribution, production, publishing, equipment rental, recording studios, and artist management. Though the financial structure and annual revenue of Zomba during the company's independent period was probably only known to CEO Clive Calder
Clive Calder
Clive Calder is a South African-born and UK based record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group and its subsidiary Jive Records. The relocation of Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr...
(the company was registered privately offshore in the Dutch Antilles), Zomba was widely regarded as the most successful of the independent music companies
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
.
The group is probably best known for its role in developing some of the most popular forms of music, such as and hip-hop in the 1980s, and the teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
/boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
phenomenon in the late 1990s through their first record label Jive
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, though they have also had substantial activities in both the Christian and gospel music field. Calder and Simon both served as CEO's until 1990 when Calder bought out Simon's share and ran the company himself until 2002. In 2002, BMG purchased the company and subsequently restructured the labels under the umbrella company Zomba Label Group, which was the most public face of the company. The label group served as a parent for many different labels including Jive, Silvertone
Silvertone Records (1980)
Silvertone Records is a current British record label, owned by Zomba Music Group. The first and most famous signing to the label was The Stone Roses in the late 1980s, with whom they later had a lengthy legal battle. Other acts signed to the label during its history include Jars of Clay, The Men...
, Volcano and LaFace
LaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
.
South African Roots: Calder, Simon and Lange
In late 1971, Clive Calder and Ralph Simon began their two-decade partnership in forming businesses in record production and promotion, music publishing, artist management and concert promotion in South Africa. Because of the market in South Africa, there was a need to branch out into various aspects of the business, instead of just focusing on one aspect of the industry. "You couldn't do just one thing. It was too small." explains David Gresham, CEO of David Gresham Record Company, "This is not a country where you have a million-seller. A No. 1 record is a 10,000 unit seller. That only pays the rent for a month or two." While almost mandatory in South Africa, this early style of music company would be adapted to other markets throughout the companies history, and would become a staple of Calder's managing legacy.Early companies formed by Calder and Simon were Sagittarius Management and Clive Calder Productions (CCP). CCP was distributed by EMI Records South Africa who purchased the company in 1972. Although Calder has no stake in it now, it still exists as a wholly owned subsidiary of EMI, specializing in the recording, development and marketing of domestic artists. Calder's relationship with EMI began when he had been an A&R Manager at EMI South Africa for eighteen months. There he had signed some big groups for the time such as Freedom's Children and the Otis Waygood Blues Band. During this time, Calder was also a bassist in a few bands. He formed the Four Dukes and the In Crowd with EMI artist Peter Vee, whom he also produced. Calder eventually paired Lee with a young producer named Mutt Lange, who began producing songs for Calder at CCP, including the local hit "Sunday Monday Tuesday" by Jessica Jones.
Zomba in London
The trio of Calder, Simon and Lange decided in 1974 that they had to get out of South Africa. "We were politically very much opposed to the old apartheid regime" says Simon. They pooled together what little money they had and moved to London. Having landed right in the middle of the British punk rock movement, they felt their experience would not be best utilized in marketing and promotion in such a different context. Instead, they opted to create a publishing company and Zomba Corporation was officially registered in Switzerland in 1975, operating out of Calder's bedroom space in London. The name "Zomba" referred to the capital of African country Malawi.Next, Calder and Simon began looking for songwriters. The first was Henri Belolo
Henri Belolo
Henri Belolo is a French music producer active during the disco era. Together with his friend and composer Jacques Morali, he created The Ritchie Family as well as their most successful group, Village People....
, the French producer who helped create the Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
. Zomba became the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
group's British publisher. Though the band had been turned down by a few UK labels, Calder and Simon thought they could retain the most control of Zomba if they stayed in the publishing and management business, allowing other labels to release their artist's music. Meanwhile, Lange was building a name for himself as a producer, with albums by the Boomtown Rats, Graham Parker
Graham Parker
Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
and eventually AC/DC's
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
1979 Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell can refer to:*Highway to Hell , 1979 album by AC/DC**"Highway to Hell" , the title track from the album*Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell*Highway to Hell , a 1992 film starring Chad Lowe and Kristy Swanson...
, his breakthrough album. This led to Lange becoming one of the worlds leading hard-rock producers, later adding Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
and Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
to his resume. For Zomba, this meant increased exposure and credibility leading to many new producer and songwriter management deals. Additionally, artists would sign publishing deals, giving their publishing company a constantly burgeoning collection.
In early 1978, Zomba opened offices in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and began looking for more artists and songwriters. Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
was one of the first to contact the group, who used his recently formed Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
to distribute Zomba artists. The first major signing was Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s...
. Over the next few years, Zomba's songwriters hit it big and the publishing profits kicked in, marking the beginning of the company's first major expansion into record labels. Though Davis wanted Calder to head his West Coast A&R operations, Calder had a different plans altogether, and instead presented Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
to Davis.
Jive: Taking a Chance with Rap
Arista had been having trouble pushing rock acts in the US, and Clive Davis had hoped that with Zomba's Mutt Lange connection, Jive would fill that role. However, Calder had other ideas. In 1981, Jive began operations by releasing British dance and pop music such as Q-FeelQ-Feel
Q-Feel was a British synthpop group. They released their self-titled album in 1983, which included their only hit single, "Dancing in Heaven ". Group member Martin Page went on to achieve success as a songwriter and solo artist....
, A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
and Tight Fit
Tight Fit
Tight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...
. By 1982, Calder was introduced to a young fresh college graduate named Barry Weiss
Barry Weiss
Barry Weiss is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman & CEO of Island Def Jam Motown Music Group and Universal Republic. He served as chairman and CEO of RCA/Jive Label Group from 2008 to 2011 and was also the CEO of its constituent Jive Records from 1991 to 2011...
who, for his job interview with Zomba, took Calder out to hip-hop and black clubs all over New York City. Calder was immediately impressed with the man and had him scanning sales data all over the country searching for unknown acts on small labels selling large numbers. Calder got one of his songwriters Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
to create a catchy hook for a local DJ Mr. Magic
Mr. Magic
John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, was an important figure in the world of hip hop radio.-Biography:Mr. Magic debuted in 1981 on WHBI-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station...
to rap over. Mr. Magic had to cancel at the last minute, but fortunately he knew another rapper, Jalil Hutchins. Weiss's stress level shot up when Hutchins came to the session with another unknown rapper named Ecstasy and no rhymes. After two days, the group created and recorded "Magic's Wand" which turned into a hit single. Weiss named the group Houdini, but Calder changed it to Whodini
Whodini
Whodini is a hip hop group that was formed in 1981. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee.-Early years:Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to...
. Calder flew the group to London to record an album, then to Germany to record with producer Konrad "Conny" Plank
Conny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
of Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
and Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
fame. While the group would eventually leave Jive after a few albums, the early success resulted in Jive becoming a label with a focus on hip-hop artists throughout eighties. At a time when the record establishment wouldn't touch "ghetto" music like rap, a white South African successfully marketed some of the edgiest black music.
After Whodini, Jive began signing other rap artists into the later half of the decade. Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
was signed on the strength of their first record Criminal Minded
Criminal Minded
Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is a highly influential hip hop album. Production on the LP is credited to 'Blastmaster' KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock , but in interviews it has been revealed that an uncredited Ced-Gee of The Ultramagnetic MCs had a key role in crafting the sound of the...
, and their Jive debut By All Means Necessary
By All Means Necessary
By All Means Necessary is the second album from hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released in 1988, on Jive Records. After the murder of DJ/Producer Scott La Rock in 1987, MC KRS-One moved away from the violence that dominated their debut Criminal Minded and began to write socially conscious...
was released in 1988. Young West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
rapper Too Short was picked up by Jive after his independently released Born to Mack
Born to Mack
Born to Mack is the fourth studio album by Too Short, and his first major album release. This album was re-released by Jive Records after the success of Raw, Uncut, and X-Rated. It was originally released in the summer of 1987 by Dangerous Music and in 1988 through Jive/RCA, although Jive Records...
sold over 50,000 copies. Jive gave the album national distribution which led to gold status, and then quickly issued his follow up Life Is...Too Short which achieved platinum status. Meanwhile, Jive signed DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vocalist Will Smith met Jeff Townes while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes the team members became local celebrities...
in 1986 and released their debut Rock the House
Rock the House (album)
Rock the House is the debut album from the rapping duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on March 19, 1987, in the United States, and was subsequently re-issued in 1988 in Europe and the UK...
. The duo was a great success for Jive, helping make rap more accessible.
Jive continued supporting rap artists into the nineties. Most of the aforementioned groups continued on Jive into the next decade. KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
, the primary force behind Boogie Down Productions, released a string solo albums with Jive beginning with Return of the Boom Bap
Return of the Boom Bap
Return of the Boom Bap was KRS-One's first official solo album, released in 1993 on the Jive Records label. It peaked on the Billboard 200 charts at position 37 on October 16, 1993. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums...
in 1993. In 1991, Jive signed R&B artist R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
who, along with his backing band Public Announcement
Public Announcement
Public Announcement is an R&B and hip hop group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, originally backing singer R. Kelly on his first album.-1990-1994: Born Into The 90's:...
, released their debut Born into the 90's in early 1992. R. Kelly's began his solo career with 12 Play
12 Play
-Personnel:* All songs were written and arranged by R. Kelly* Executive Producer: Barry HankersonCo-ProducerTimmy Allen-External links:* at Discogs* at 12Play.net...
in 1993 and continues to release with Jive today. A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
was signed by Jive in 1989 following a successful independently released single "Description of a Fool." Their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is the debut album by the alternative hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released April 17, 1990 on Jive Records. Though the album was well-received critically, it had little mainstream appeal. The album did earn the band a devoted following,...
was released by Jive in 1990 and framed the group as one of the most intelligent rap groups. Many other rap and R&B artists were signed throughout the eighties and nineties before the teen-pop explosion in the later half of the decade.
Company Expansion
By 1990, Zomba was worth $225 million with over fifty companies. Contrary to most other record businesses at the time, Zomba spared no time with frills. "The Jive offices were crummy, cardboard desks. They just really did everything on the cheap," says attorney Gary Stiffelman. The company began to attract more major label attention when EMI attempted to buy the company, but was ultimately turned down. This period also saw Ralph Simon leaving Zomba at the start of the decade. Through an unspecified "ethical disagreement," Calder and Simon ended their relationship of over two decades. Calder bought out Simon's half of the company and subsequently gained full control of the company. In late 1991, BMG furthered its relationship with Zomba buy purchasing a 25% stake in their music publishing business, allowing them to sub-publish Zomba compositions in foreign markets. BMG continued with a 20% purchase of Zomba's records division in 1996.Building on the successes of the Jive label, Zomba began expanding its reach by purchasing and creating new labels, and by creating new divisions that helped expose more people to Zomba artists and services. In 1988, Andrew Lauder
Andrew Lauder (music executive)
Andrew Lauder is a record company executive and former A&R manager. Initially noted for his adventurous signings of bands as diverse as Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Can, Hawkwind and Brinsley Schwarz to Liberty Records and United Artists Records in the 1960s and 70s, he went on to form numerous...
formed the UK based Silvertone Records
Silvertone Records (1980)
Silvertone Records is a current British record label, owned by Zomba Music Group. The first and most famous signing to the label was The Stone Roses in the late 1980s, with whom they later had a lengthy legal battle. Other acts signed to the label during its history include Jars of Clay, The Men...
under the Zomba Group. While Jive focused on hip-hop, Silvertone focused on more rock oriented music. The labels roster was initially bolstered by The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, but quickly expanded to include blues, acoustic, and roots music. Other artists featured early on Silvertone include John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, J.J. Cale
J.J. Cale
JJ Cale , born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has...
and The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush , Paul Simmonds , Philip "Swill" Odgers , Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley .- Controversy and success:Their first single, "The Green Fields...
. This period also saw one of the few times that Zomba attempted cracking the classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
market. In 1992, Zomba purchased UK classical music group Conifer Classics with the aide of the group's head Alison Wenham. Though the deal seemed to be solid, Zomba sold the company to BMG in 1995. Classical music activities have remained minimal within the company since then. Building on a existing publishing deals, Zomba briefly co-owned the UK label Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
. While the co-ownership only lasted between 1989 and 1991, the two companies continued dealing together in other avenues, including a publishing deal with Sanctuary artists Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
. In 1998, Zomba purchased a 50% stake in the troubled label Volcano Entertainment (called Freeworld
Freeworld Entertainment
Freeworld Entertainment was a record label formed in 1997 by Dallas Austin and Kevin Czinger.-Inception :The history of Freeworld begins with Kevin Czinger's purchase of Zoo Entertainment from BMG in 1996 with the support of financial backers Allen & Co...
at the time). The label had been under financial pressure due to various reasons, including a lawsuit from flagship artist Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. The purchase was shared with management from Q-Prime, though shortly after they sold their half to Zomba, making Volcano a wholly owned subsidiary. The first action was to settle the lawsuit with Tool, who would go on to become another Zomba success throughout the 2000s, representing the broad stylistic reach of artists under the Zomba Group.
In 1993, Zomba created Zomba! Music Services in order to facilitate publishing rights for those in the film and television industry. The division would act as a channel through which clients could acquire products and services from any company within Zomba. Songs published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd., or released on any of the Zomba labels, or specialty recordings owned by the division itself could be sourced for inclusion on film soundtracks, television shows or commercials. This move gave Zomba profits by providing an accessible method of accessing the company's vast publishing catalogue.
The year 1994 saw the first of many of Zomba's successful forays into the Christian music scene with the purchase of the Brentwood Music Group. Brentwood was an established company consisting of an extensive Christian distribution network, several labels, and one of the largest music publishing divisions in printed choral music in the U.S. Expanding on the Brentwood purchase, Zomba purchased the Christian label group Reunion Records
Reunion Records
Reunion Records is a Christian music record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee and operating under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982 by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton.-History:...
from BMG in October 1996 In 1997, Zomba purchased yet another Christian music affiliated company, the Benson Music Group
Benson Records
Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson & John T. Benson, beginning as the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records and would come to house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, RiverSong, StarSong and Home Sweet Home...
from Music Entertainment Group. Benson became Zomba's third label to focus on Christian music following Brentwood Music, Reunion Records. An important asset of the Brentwood acquisition was the publishing arm, originally founded in 1902, that included 46,000 copyrights from artists such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
.
In reaction to the surge in Christian oriented labels gathered over so few years, Zomba created the Provident Music Group
Provident Label Group
Provident Label Group is a division of Sony Music Entertainment focusing primarily on Christian music in Franklin, Tennessee. The group handles its own physical distribution through its Provident-Integrity Distribution service...
in June 1997. The Nashville based group was led by Jim Van Hook and was essentially a continuation of the Brentwood group and an amalgamation of the other Christian oriented labels. The group consisted of the Benson, Brentwood and Reunion groups, as well as the Brentwood/Benson Publishing Group and newly formed Provident Music Distribution arms. This new group allowed the three main sublabels to have unified resources and distribution while still retaining their unique personalities in the market.
In 1996, Zomba acquired the Windsong Holdings which gave them control of many new companies including Windsong International, Pinnacle Entertainment and Music For Nations
Music For Nations
Music For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
. It also gave them control of the established music company Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
(80% of Rough Trade Records Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
/Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
/Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(GSA) and 100% of Rough Trade Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
). Rough Trade was primarily known as a distributor, but it also ran many electronic
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
labels based in Germany. In July 1999, Rough Trade GSA was renamed Zomba Records GmbH, while the Benelux operation (which only had distribution at the time) was absorbed into Zomba Distribution. The Rough Trade name remained as an imprint of Zomba Records GmbH, but was largely abandoned by Zomba.
With the successful integration of Rough Trade into its operations in the GSA region and Benelux and to expand on recent teen pop successes, Zomba created a London-based international label group, Zomba International Records Group. Directed by Stuart Watson, the new organization allowed each new local territory to freely sign and develop acts on their own. If those artists could create a strong regional profile, it would be possibly to "export" them to Zomba International for broader exposure. Simultaneously, it allowed Zomba artists increased international exposure. The expansion was largely unhampered, save for some legal issues with the Australian branch. Australian record company Festival Mushroom Group lost at least a dozen employees to Zomba in early 1999, and placed an injunction that stopped them from soliciting Mushroom employees, and accused former employee Scott Murphy of trying to bolster Zomba's presence while still working for Mushroom. However, the issue was resolved fairly amicably and ended with a distribution deal with BFM Distribution (a joint venture of Festival Mushroom Group and BMG).
As the record industry began evolving due to the widespread use of the Internet, and the increasing ease with which artists can record at home, Zomba made moves that illustrated their desire to change with the times. In 2000, they joined the growling list of record companies that made some music available via digital download with online distribution company Amplified Entertainment. In 2002, Zomba joined majors EMI, Universal and BMG, with approving some of their Jive catalog for release on the new DataPlay
DataPlay
DataPlay is an optical disc system developed by DataPlay Inc. and released to the consumer market in 2002. Using very small disks enclosed in a protective cartridge storing 250MB per side, DataPlay was intended primarily for portable music playback, including both pre-recorded disks and...
media. Though the media was largely unsuccessful, the move illustrated Zomba's competitiveness with the major labels in the growing digital world. However, a negative outcome of the changing times was the closing of some of Zomba's Battery Studios and Dreamline equipment rental businesses towards the end of 2001.
Teen Pop Explosion
Around 1993, Clive Calder began his uneasy relationship with Lou PearlmanLou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
. Pearlman had put together a new group, Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
, which was languishing on Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
without any hits. He presented the group to Calder along with David McPherson
Dave McPherson (musician)
David Alexander John "Dave" McPherson is a rock musician and solo acoustic artist from Brentwood, Essex...
. Though initially uninterested due to the dominance of grunge and alternative rock, Calder thought that the group could help expand his operations overseas. Mercury bought out the boys contract for $35,000 and moved over to Zomba imprint Jive
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. Calder immediately sent the group to Sweden and matched them with a group of producers recently found by Zomba scouts: Dag Volle
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle , better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop , was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter....
and Martin Sandberg
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
. In mid-1995, the band recorded their three songs including their first single at Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Next Calder matched them with an old friend, Stuart Watson, who ran SWAT Enterprises, a company specializing in promotion in Asia. The group went to Asia began touring relentlessly and released their first album
Backstreet Boys (International)
Backstreet Boys is the self-titled international debut album from the pop group Backstreet Boys. The album was released around Europe, Asia, Canada and in a few other markets. It was a success, becoming one of the biggest debut albums ever and contains a number of the band's most memorable singles...
which sold one million copies in three weeks. In 1997, when Calder thought the grunge phenomenon had sufficiently passed, he took the group back over to the United States where their North American debut
Backstreet Boys (US)
Backstreet Boys is the second but debut U.S. self-titled album by the vocal-pop group Backstreet Boys. The first was their 1996 Backstreet Boys, which was not released in the United States. This second self-titled album was released in 1997 and was their debut album in the country. It became one...
ended up selling upwards of 14 million copies, creating the first in a run of many hits that Zomba and the Backstreet Boys would enjoy together.
While Pearlman and Watson were breaking the Backstreet Boys overseas, Jive A&R man Steve Lunt was busy in the US seeking a female star, and was greeted with fifteen-year old Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. Initially horrified by Spears karaoke demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of a Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
song sung in the wrong register, Lunt was intrigued by a brief moment at the end where he heard the "kind of soul she had." As was the virtually the standard at Zomba, Lunt took Spears to in-house songwriter and producer Eric Foster White in the company's publishing division, and the two recorded "You Got It All
You Got It All
"You Got It All" was the fourth single released by the 1980s dance-pop band, The Jets, from their commercially successful debut 1985 album, The Jets. It was written by Rupert Holmes, most famous for the song, "Escape ."...
." Like the Backstreet Boys, Spears was hooked up with Cheiron producer Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
. Within thirty days of letting a music director at Star 100.7
KFMB-FM
KFMB-FM is a commercial radio station located in San Diego, California, broadcasting on 100.7 FM. KFMB-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack FM".-History:...
in San Diego hear "...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album of American recording artist Britney Spears, released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records. In June 1997, while Spears was in a negotiation with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense, her mother asked family friend and entertainment...
," the song was number one on the charts.
In 1999 Zomba was involved in a "boy band controversy" when trying to sign another group that Pearlman had put together himself, *NSYNC. *NSYNC had recently left RCA due to allegations that Pearlman had taken approximately 50% of their profits and not the one-sixth that he had agreed to. Seeing the group as a "free-agent," Jive quickly signed them and prepared to release their next album. On 12 October, Pearlman's company Trans Continental, in conjunction with RCA owner BMG Entertainment and BMG Ariola Munich sued Jive Records, Clive Calder, and the members of *NSYNC for $150 million citing, among other things, breach of contract. Pearlman sought an injunction against the release of the bands' new album and that the recordings be given to him, but it was denied in court. As a response to the suit, and in reference to treatment by Trans Continental's , *NSYNC released a statement citing the company's poor conduct as "the most glaring, overt, and callous example of artist exploitation that the music industry has seen in a long time." The lawsuit was settled on 23 December with undisclosed terms, but left Jive free to release future *NSYNC albums.
The lawsuit, which Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called "the music industry's nastiest legal skirmishes in years," was problematic for Zomba for two main reasons. First, having heard that 'N Sync was signed to Jive, the Backstreet Boys did not want to be a part of the label anymore. Second, the lawsuit temporarily strained Zomba's relationship with BMG, whose distribution deal with Zomba was coming to a close. Jive initially announced that they would not renew their deal with BMG, but reconsidered following the lawsuit with BMG and Trans Continental. The distribution deal may have been a determining factor in the outcome of the lawsuit, since distributed Zomba product accounted for 5.5% of BMG's US market share, and company CEO Strauss Zelnick was under pressure not to lose that. They also signed a new deal with the Backstreet Boys that gave the band 20% of their royalties.
Changing Hands: From BMG to Sony, and Recent Activities
BMG had owned 25% of Zomba's publishing business since 1991 and 20% of its recording business since 1996. As part of BMG's 1996 agreement with Zomba, the music giant was required to follow through on a put optionPut option
A put or put option is a contract between two parties to exchange an asset, the underlying, at a specified price, the strike, by a predetermined date, the expiry or maturity...
and buy the remaining shares it did not already own before 31 December 2002. In June 2002, Clive Calder decided to exercise the put option. Effective 26 November 2002, BMG Entertainment concluded its deal with Zomba for the purchase of the company's entire assets. While Calder had originally requested $3.2 billion for his shares in Zomba, various estimates of the label's value were was varied from only as much as $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion. Following the purchase negotiations, a price of $2.74 billion was agreed upon, the biggest purchase of an independent at the time. Zomba's sale had been the latest in a series of independent label sellouts including Island Records and Geffen Records (both sold to Universal for $300 million and $550 million respectively), and Virgin (sold for $950 million to EMI).
Initially, BMG took its time in integrating Zomba with the rest of its labels, hoping that the former independent would lift BMGs worldwide rank from fifth to fourth-largest record company. Calder resigned his position as CEO immediately after the purchase, but stayed on in an advisory position for about another year. In mid 2003, BMG began its worldwide integration of Zomba cutting hundreds of jobs through the consolidation of regional operations. While many of the key managers stayed, and the large offices in the US and the UK remained operational, all of the other regional offices were assimilated into BMG. In addition to the regional mergers, the Zomba and BMG publishing companies were integrated. The US and UK offices remained as stand-alone units, but many of the back-office functions were consolidated into BMG. The Provident Music Group, Zomba's foray into the Christian music market, was reassigned as a RCA sub-label. By 2004, the record labels were reorganized under the Zomba Label Group.
In 2004, BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
and Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
merged to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...
taking Zomba with it. Though the merger was plagued with controversy and eventually ended with Sony buying out BMG's stake in late 2008, Zomba executives continued to expand the company's operations in various aspects. In 2007, as part of Sony BMG integration and consolidation, RCA Music Group and Zomba Label Group merged their international, sales and field staffs to form the BMG Label Group under Sony BMG. RCA and Zomba kept separate groups under BMG, but this configuration was short-lived due to the dissolution of the Sony BMG merger. Zomba is currently owned wholly by, and operates under Sony.
On 2 November 2004 the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
announced that it had entered into an agreement with Zomba. Effective 1 January 2005, the labor union covered all artists on any Zomba subsidiary labels (and any future labels) under the Federation's Sound Recording Labor Agreement. The deal ensured that all artists under the Zomba aegis would receive, for the first time, a full range of benefits and protections, among which are scale payments, industry standard working conditions and pension contributions.
In 2005, Zomba formed Zomba Gospel under the Zomba Label Group in an effort to collate its recently expanding gospel labels. Zomba's interest in gospel began in the form of a distribution deal with GospoCentric Records
GospoCentric Records
GospoCentric Records is an Inglewood, California based Gospel music record label started as an independent label by Vicki Mack Lataillade and Claude Lataillade in 1993. The label rose to prominence in the 90's largely on the runaway success of gospel artist Kirk Franklin. The label has grown to...
(and sublabel B'Rite Music) in October 2001, which Zomba later purchased in 2004. Verity Records president Max Siegel was charged with heading the new entity which included Zomba labels Verity and GospoCentric, as well as four artist owned imprints: Quiet Water Entertainment (Donald Lawrence
Donald Lawrence
Donald Lawrence is an American gospel music songwriter, record producer and artist.-Early years:Donald Lawrence was born on May 4, 1961. He studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. While in Cincinnati, he was also the Minister of Music at the...
), Fo Yo Soul Entertainment (Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...
), New Life Records (John P. Kee
John P. Kee
John P. Kee is an American gospel singer and pastor.-Early life:John P. Kee was born the 15th out of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina. At an early age he began to develop his musical talent both instrumentally and vocally...
) and F. Hammond Music (Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond is a gospel music singer, bass guitar player, and record producer.-Musical career:Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist...
). Distribution was handled by Provident-Integrity for the Christian Bookselling Association, and through Sony Distribution (formerly Sony BMG) for the mainstream market.
Zomba's publishing division also continued its expansion. In 2006, Zomba Music Publishing purchased the catalog of the UK based Strongsongs Music Publishing from the Telstar Music Group. This large acquisition gave expanded Zomba's rights to many international hitmakers to include Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
and Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
among others. Beginning with the appointment of David Mantel in 2005 as the head of Zomba Music Publishing US operations, the company began to take a different signing approach that focused on unknown or unsigned artists. Mantel's first signing was T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
, whose two singles "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" hit number 8 and 5 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. This type of signing was also used in the records division were artists or producers were given their own imprint. In October 2008, Zomba made an all-inclusive multiyear joint-venture deal with Hitz Committee Entertainment, and imprint in the making for almost 5 years by Jive A&R VP Micky "MeMpHiTz" Wright. Beginning in 2008, Hitz Committee consists of a record label under Sony, music production, music publishing, artist and producer management, and TV and film projects.
Company Structure
- For a list of all companies associated with Zomba see: List of Zomba Group companies
The structure of the Zomba Group during the independent era (1975 to 2002) is difficult to pinpoint exactly due to the private nature of Clive Calder's managing style. During that period, Calder's private investment group Summer Shore NV
Naamloze Vennootschap
is the Dutch term for a public limited liability company. The company is owned by shareholders, and the company's shares are not registered to certain owners, so that they may be traded on the public stock market....
controlled the Zomba group. The company began as Zomba Management and Publishers as early as 1975. They expanded to the US, first with a publishing sector in 1978, then a records division in 1981 while the management and publishing divisions became separate companies. Also sometime during that period, they started a production division initially called Zomba Productions Ltd., which would become Zomba Recording Corporation. From a legal standpoint, Zomba's holdings
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
are divided into their music publishing business (Zomba Music Holdings BV) and music recording business (Zomba Record Holdings BV). The former holds only music publishing (i.e., written music) rights, while the latter holds all of the recorded music rights, along with some publishing groups acquired over the years. In addition to those two, there is another holding company called Zomba Entertainment Holdings BV. Below is a breakdown of most of the companies and divisions that have been owned by Zomba. Since the BMG integration in mid-2003, and further integration into Sony Music in early 2009, the exact status of some companies is not known. As much detail has been provided to illustrate the current status of these companies.
Records Division
- Zomba labels were operated under the Zomba Label Group from approximately 2004 until 2009 (now part of the RCA/Jive Label Group. The Provident Label Group contained other labels after its purchase in 1997, but is no longer a part of Zomba. The Windsong purchase gave Zomba control of labels through a variety of company structures including Pinnacle and Rough Trade, however, some of these labels are no longer a part of Zomba. These three groups are organized separately below, followed by a list of inactive or formerly owned labels from various periods.
Zomba's first, and flagship label is Jive, formed in 1981. Since then, Zomba has acquired and created a variety of labels and label groups that either operate independent from, or under Jive. During its independent period, the various record labels under Zomba all reported directly to a records division. There was no formal public face for the labels until BMG formed Zomba Label Group in 2004. Though the term "Zomba label group" or "Zomba Group records division" had been used previously to refer to the various labels owned by the company, it wasn't until then that an actual company was created to control the labels specifically. The Zomba Recording Corporation continues to coordinate production activities on many Zomba subsidiary releases.
From 1981 until 1987, Zomba labels were distributed by Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
. Following that, Zomba signed a deal with RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
for distribution that lasted until 1991. The end of the deal coincided with BMG purchasing a large share of RCA and a deal with BMG was signed for distribution. BMG remained the North American distributor for Zomba until after the purchase in 2002, however, other regions had various other distributors over time. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
became an important distributor for Zomba in Europe via Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, but distribution details are listed below in the Regional Branches section. Zomba only controls one small vinyl pressing plant, therefore, most of their manufacturing has been outsourced to companies such as Sonopress (BMG affiliated), Sony and Technicolor.
In 1996, Zomba acquired 75% of UK distributor and label group Pinnacle, 80% of the Rough Trade label and distribution in the Germany/Switzerland/Austria (GSA) region, and 100% of Rough Trade Benelux. Effective 8 July 1999 Rough Trade Records was renamed Zomba Records GmbH and the Rough Trade sales and distribution arm was renamed Zomba Distribution, operating as a division of Zomba Records GmbH. As of the BMG purchase, Zomba conducted its own distribution in the UK (with Pinnacle), Germany, Austria and Benelux (all with Zomba Distribution). In those areas, Zomba also distributed for other, smaller independent labels. In France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, Zomba had its own marketing and sales, however, distribution was handled by EMI (through Virgin in most cases). In Finland and Greece, Zomba material was exclusively licensed to EMI who controlled marketing, sales and distribution. North American distribution has almost exclusively been with BMG. Following the BMG purchase in December 2002 and subsequent integration in June 2003 and the end of contracts with EMI (also in June), all distribution has been handled by the local BMG companies. When BMG merged with Sony, Sony BMG became Zomba's distributor from 2004 until early 2009. Since then, Zomba products have been distributed by Sony Music since Sony purchased BMG's interest in their joint-venture.
Zomba Recording Corporation
Zomba Recording Corporation (previously Zomba Productions Ltd., and sometimes colloquially referred to as Zomba Records) is a music company and division of the Zomba Group. The US affiliate is Zomba Recordings LLC and the UK affiliate is Zomba Records Ltd. The company also runs an investment and financial services company called Zomba Ventures Inc.Primarily a production company, Zomba Recording Corporation coordinates various activities for the recording process including hiring musicians, managing studios, and organizing production, mixing and mastering personnel. Recordings made under the coordination or supervision of this division are usually marked with the phrase "An Original Sound Recording Made by Zomba Recording Corporation (or Zomba Recordings LLC/Zomba Records Limited/Zomba Productions Limited)." While not strictly a record label, Zomba Recording Corporation appears on most of the various sublabels that Zomba owns. Additionally, the minimal manufacturing as well as some distribution that Zomba does on its own is run through this company.
Battery Studios is the name of Zomba Recording Corporation's chain of multi-room facilities often used in the production of Zomba artists. The main facility, located in New York City, is constantly associated with high profile clients including R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. The studio features three recording and mixing studios with SSL 9000, SSL 4064 G+ and Euphonix CS3000 consoles and Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
MIXplus systems. Battery Studios was originally opened in London before the New York branch existed, and at one point consisted of six locations in London, four New York locations, two Nashville locations, and one location in Chicago. However, Zomba closed its London branches towards the end of 2001 and the others followed soon after leaving only an unknown number of New York locations. In addition to Battery studios, Zomba Recording Corporation began a relationship with the established Swedish studio Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs...
and its production personnel. The studio had operated since the mid eighties (as SweMix), and from 1996 until its closure in 2000 it shared a joint production and publishing venture with the Zomba Group. Apart from the actual studio, the venture included a production team that helped forge the sounds of Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and 'N Sync.
In addition to recording studios, Zomba Recording Corporation operated Dreamhire Equipment Rental service. Dreamhire opened in 1984 with operations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Nashville. The London branch closed in 2001 followed by the Nashville one in 2003. Dreamhire also included Hilton Sound, a hire operation purchased by Zomba in 1996. Since November 2003 following the BMG purchase, Dreamhire is no longer a part of Zomba and runs independently as Dreamhire LLC from one location in New York City.
Zomba Label Group
During its existence, the Zomba Label Group featured all of the Zomba-related labels that BMG purchased in 2002. The current Battery RecordsBattery Records (hip hop)
Battery Records is a hip-hop label started by Neil Levine under Zomba Label Group, which is currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was launched mid-2008 by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The label primarily focuses on new talent, often overseeing early-stage development for acts...
is unrelated to the previous defunct imprint
Battery Records (dance)
Battery Records was a dance sublabel of Jive Records active for a short time in the mid-nineties unrelated to the current hip hop label also part of the Jive/Zomba family...
of the same name. Listed below is the structure of the Zomba Label Group immediately before its rebranding and dissolution in 2009.
- Battery RecordsBattery Records (hip hop)Battery Records is a hip-hop label started by Neil Levine under Zomba Label Group, which is currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was launched mid-2008 by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The label primarily focuses on new talent, often overseeing early-stage development for acts...
- Jive RecordsJive RecordsJive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
- Jive ElectroJive ElectroJive Electro was a sublabel of the Zomba Group's Jive Records noted for releasing albums by Groove Armada, Hardknox, and Tangerine Dream as well as few remixes for the Madchester band The Stone Roses.The label was largely active between 1984 and 1987...
- Mojo RecordsMojo RecordsMojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
- Jive Electro
- LaFace RecordsLaFace RecordsLaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
- Silvertone RecordsSilvertone Records (1980)Silvertone Records is a current British record label, owned by Zomba Music Group. The first and most famous signing to the label was The Stone Roses in the late 1980s, with whom they later had a lengthy legal battle. Other acts signed to the label during its history include Jars of Clay, The Men...
- So So Def RecordingsSo So Def RecordingsSo So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music.-Beginnings:...
- Volcano Entertainment
- Verity Gospel Music GroupVerity Gospel Music GroupVerity Gospel Music Group is a gospel music group operating under Sony Music Entertainment.-Inception:In late 2002, BMG completed the purchase of the Zomba Group for US$2.74 billion and as a part of that deal, acquired the gospel label Verity Records...
(previously Zomba Gospel)- F. Hammond Music
- Fo Yo Soul Entertainment
- GospoCentric
- New Life Records
- Quiet Water Entertainment
- Verity RecordsVerity RecordsVerity Records is an American gospel music-focused record label founded in 1994. The label is a now major component and namesake of Verity Gospel Music Group , the Gospel group operated by Jive Label Group, which in turn is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.-Artists :* 21:03* Crystal Aikin*...
Provident Music Group
The Provident Music Group was created by Zomba in 1997 as an amalgamation of their Christian music activities. Zomba had purchased Brentwood Music Group in February 1994 and founder Jim Van Cook was charged with leading the new music group. The group consisted of three sections: Provident Label Group, Provident-Integrity Distribution and the Brentwood/Benson Publishing Group.As part of the music group, Zomba amalgamated their Christian labels under the Provident Label Group. The new group initially consisted of Brentwood Records, Benson Records and Reunion Records, though Brentwood was shut down in 2001. Since then, other labels have been added. Under Zomba, the Provident Label Group had this configuration:
- Benson RecordsBenson RecordsBenson Records was founded by Bob Benson & John T. Benson, beginning as the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records and would come to house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, RiverSong, StarSong and Home Sweet Home...
- Diadem Records
- Essential RecordsEssential Records (Christian)Essential Records is a Contemporary Christian record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It is a division of a major label, Sony Music Entertainment.-History:...
- Sub•Lime Records
- Watershed Records
- Flicker RecordsFlicker RecordsFlicker Records is a Christian record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded by members of Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline. The label mainly focuses on rock/hard rock artists, though it also created a subsidiary, Big House Kids, for Christian children's music.The label was...
- Reunion RecordsReunion RecordsReunion Records is a Christian music record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee and operating under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982 by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton.-History:...
- Rode Dog Records
- Verity RecordsVerity RecordsVerity Records is an American gospel music-focused record label founded in 1994. The label is a now major component and namesake of Verity Gospel Music Group , the Gospel group operated by Jive Label Group, which in turn is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.-Artists :* 21:03* Crystal Aikin*...
After BMG bought Zomba in 2002 and integrated the company in June 2003, the Provident Music Group was moved under the aegis of RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
with the exception of the Publishing division which was moved under BMG Publishing (Provident would later create its own publishing division, Essential Music Publishing, with no connection to Zomba). BMG Publishing was subsequently sold to Universal, along with Brentwood/Benson. In 2008, when Sony bought Bertelsmann's stake in their joint Sony BMG venture, the rest of Provident became part of Sony Music Nashville.
Windsong (Pinnacle, Rough Trade, Music For Nations)
In 1996, Zomba acquired the holdings of Windsong International. The deal gave the following controlling interests to Zomba:- Collins ClassicsCollins ClassicsCollins Classics was a record label which specialised in classical music. It was founded in 1989.Artists who recorded for the label included Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Duke Quartet, choral group the Sixteen, Harry Christophers and Joanna MacGregor....
- Opened in 1989, closed in 1998. - Connoisseur Collection - Released high quality, mid price compilation.
- Music For NationsMusic For NationsMusic For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
- Metal/hard-rock label that closed in 2004. - Pinnacle Entertainment - Entertainment group largely known for being the largest UK distributor of independent record labels.
- Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
(80% of Rough Trade Records GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
/SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
/AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and 100% of Rough Trade BeneluxBeneluxThe Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
) - German distributor and label group. - Windsong Exports - Exporter of music and film/TV.
- Windsong In Concert - Windsong's collection of "BBC In Concert" recordings.
Rough Trade GSA was renamed Zomba Records GmbH, while the Benelux operation (which only had distribution at the time) was absorbed into Zomba Distribution. The Rough Trade name only remained as an imprint of Zomba Records GmbH. Before being absorbed into BMG's operations, Zomba Records GmbH consisted of the following regional labels, most of which focused on electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
:
- Advanced
- Air
- Form & Function
- Our Choice
- Reihe Ego
- Rough Trade
- World Service
Zomba Records GmbH was integrated into BMG's German operation along with the other regional offices. The Rough Trade name was later reacquired by Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1978.-Biography:...
and Jeanette Lee who eventually continued it independently. When BMG restructured Zomba in 2003, Windsong/Pinnacle was moved under Bertelsmann's
Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann AG is a multinational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. The company operates in 63 countries and employs 102,983 workers , which makes it the most international media corporation in the world. In 2008 the company reported a €16.118 billion consolidated...
Arvato AG. Through a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
, Windsong/Pinnacle gained its independence in early 2008, but was forced into administration late in the year due to the economic crisis.
Zomba International Records Group
Zomba International Records Group managed the various regional branches opened as early as 1997 and as late as 2003. The group served to solidify the operations in these regions, some of which already had small offices with activities from scouting, promoting (such as Sweden), or as much as distribution for smaller labels or operating a few regional record labels (such as Germany). Following the BMG purchase, all of the remaining regional labels (with the exception of the main US and UK offices) and the Zomba International Records Group activities were merged with their respective local BMG offices in mid 2003.| Name | Opened | Distributor[1] | Location | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zomba Records Australia Pty. Ltd. | Sony Australia | Sydney, Australia | Scott Murphy (March 1999 - Feb. 2001) Paul Paoliello (March 1, 2001 - ?) |
|
| Zomba Records (Canada) Inc. | BMG Canada | Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... |
Laura Bartlett | |
| Zomba Records APRO Pty Ltd. (also called Zomba Records Singapore) |
BMG Singapore | Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Julius Ng | |
| Zomba Records GmbH (Germany) | [2] | Zomba Distribution | Köln, Germany KOLN KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials... |
|
| Zomba Records GesmbH | [2] | Zomba Distribution | Vienna, Austria | |
| Zomba Records GmbH (Switzerland) | [2] | Zomba Distribution | Zürich, Switzerland | |
| Zomba Records Benelux | [2] | Zomba Distribution | Hilversum, Netherlands Hilversum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages... |
Bert Meyer (1999–2003) |
| Zomba Records France SARL | Virgin | Paris, France | ||
| Zomba Records Scandinavia AB[3] | Virgin | Stockholm, Sweden | Bert Meyer (1999-??) Magnus Bohman (main office, 2000–2001) Kenneth Ruiz-Davila (Norway, 2000–2001; GM of region after 2001-09-03) |
|
| Zomba Record Holdings BV | Zomba Distribution | Brussels, Belgium | Thierry Thielemens | |
| Zomba Records New Zealand Ltd. | BMG New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | Morrie Smith | |
| Zomba Records Korea Ltd. | Rock Records Rock Records Rock Records is a Taiwanese record label founded in 1980 by Sam and Johnny Duan . The record label had their first multiseller in 1989 with Sarah Chen.It is now Asia's largest independent record label.... |
Seoul, Korea | Chang-Hak Lee | |
| Zomba Records Espana SA | Virgin | Madrid, Spain | Andres Ochaita | |
| Zomba Records Italy SRL | Virgin | Milan, Italy | Roberto Biglia | |
| Zomba Records Japan KK | Alfa Records Alfa Records , originally Alfa Music, was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records in 1977.- History :The company faced much hardship in the 1990s... (First) Avex (Second) |
Tokyo, Japan | Tak Kitazawa | |
| Zomba Records Portugal | Valentim de Carvalho Valentim de Carvalho Valentim de Carvalho is a Portuguese record label founded in 1914.-History:The company started selling phonograph, musical instruments and music since its 1914 foundation at the Rua da Assunção, Lisbon.It distributes EMI in Portugal since 1920.... |
Lisbon, Portugal | Andres Ochaita | |
| Zomba Records Brasil Ltda. | Som Livre Som Livre Som Livre is a Brazilian record company that was founded by Rede Globo in 1969 to commercialize its soap opera soundtracks, later expanding to record studio albums.... |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Martin Davis |
- [1]: Distribution information in this chart is from approximately 1999 until the BMG integration.
- [2]: Zomba Records in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Benelux had been in operation as Rough Trade since Zomba had acquired the company in 1996. 8 July 1999 marks the date the Rough Trade name was dropped in favour of Zomba.
- [3]: The Scandinavian operations started with offices in Norway and Denmark. When Kenneth Ruiz-Davila was appointed the head of Zomba Scandinavia in September 2001, the Swedish offices were also moved under the larger company. The Denmark and Norway operations later closed on 1 July 2002, leaving the Swedish office remaining.
Other Inactive/Former Labels
Aside from those listed above, other labels that have been associated with Zomba over the years are listed below.- Associated Production Music (APM) - Production music library and music services company. Was initially a joint venture between Zomba/Jive and EMI. Still Currently operating under unknown ownership.
- Conifer Records Ltd. - Classical label formed in 1977, purchased by Zomba in 1992 and sold to BMG in 1996.
- Internal Affairs
- Trademark Records - Formed under Zomba Records Australia.
- X-Over Recordings - Formed under Zomba Records Australia.
- Zed Beat
- Zomba Production Music - UK based supplier of Library and Production Music intended for professional use and not released to the general public. They released music through these various sublabels. Not to be confused with Zomba Productions Ltd. which is an earlier name of Zomba Recording Corporation.
- Chappell Recording Music Library
- Bruton Music - Label of the Bruton Music Group purchased by Zomba in 1985.
- Firstcom Music Inc.
- Galerie
- Connect 2 Music
- Zomba Special Projects - Imprint established in 1997 for specific projects like releases sold through McDonald's restaurants.
- Zomba Video - Imprint used for music-related video releases.
- Under Jive
- Battery RecordsBattery Records (dance)Battery Records was a dance sublabel of Jive Records active for a short time in the mid-nineties unrelated to the current hip hop label also part of the Jive/Zomba family...
- Unrelated to the current Battery Records, this was a dance label active in the nineties. - Dance Jive - Dance label active in the early 2000s.
- EBULEBULEBUL is a record label belonging to Pete Waterman Ltd and Jive/Zomba.EBUL was established by Pete Waterman from the ashes of his Eastern Bloc Records and Unity record labels...
- Record label owned by Pete Waterman Entertainment Ltd. and Jive. The label was largely used to release material by Steps. - Jive Afrika - Created in 1984 for release of South African material (most prominently, Hugh MasekelaHugh MasekelaHugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
). - Jive House - Formed in the mid-nineties for house music.
- Pepper Records - Formed in the late nineties.
- Violator Records - Purchased by Jive in 2003. New York hip-hop label run by Chris Lighty and Mona Scott.
- Worx Records - Formed in the mid nineties for electronic music.
- Battery Records
Publishing Division
Zomba Music Publishing Ltd. (sometimes colloquially referred to as Zomba Music or Zomba Music Publishing Group) is the publishing division of the Zomba Group of Companies. Initially known as Zomba Enterprises Inc., the division officially changed names in 1994 and became the Zomba umbrella company for publishing. Since then, Zomba Enterprises is the name used for Zomba's ASCAP affiliate, while Zomba Music Inc. is the name of the BMIBroadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
affiliate. The holding company that controls most Zomba publishing interests is called Zomba Music Holdings BV. David Mantel has been the president of Zomba Music Publishing since 2005, when he took over for Richard Blackstone. Tim Smith is the GM of the UK affiliate Zomba Music Publishing Ltd. There are various other publishing entities under Zomba, some of which are vast libraries acquired over the years, and some of which are small groups, sometimes representing a single artist. Below is a list of Zomba's publishing subsidiaries:
- Bluey Tunes Productions Ltd. (England)
- Brentwood Music Inc.
- Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing Inc.
- Bruton Music Ltd.
- Firstcom Music Inc. (USA)
- Firstcommusic Inc. (USA)
- Grantsville Publishing Ltd. (England)
- Grever International S.A. (Texas)
- Marlowlynn Ltd. (England)
- M56 Publishing Ltd. (England)
- Street Music Ltd. (England)
- Take Out Music Publishing Ltd. (England)
- Zomba Enterprises Inc.
- Zomba Golden Sands Enterprises, Inc.
- Zomba Melodies Inc. (New York)
- Zomba Music Inc. (New York)
- Zomba Music Publishers Ltd. (England)
- Zomba Silver Sands Enterprises Inc. (Texas)
- Zomba Songs Inc. (New York)
Zomba has almost little activity in the classical music publishing sector, however, they are quite active in the pop music publishing and produced music publishing. At the time of the BMG purchase, Zomba had pop music publishing operations located in the UK and Benelux, while every other territory was sub-published with BMG. Produced music publishing operations were located in the UK and France with smaller operations in Sweden and the Netherlands. In Germany and Austria, Zomba and BMG owned publishing rights through jointly-owned companies. Finally, in Spain and Italy, Zomba publications were licensed exclusively to BMG.
In mid 2003, BMG integrated Zomba's publishing to form BMG-Zomba Music Publishers. In 2007, Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
purchased the BMG-Zomba publishing company and placed it within Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
, becoming the worlds leading music publishing business.
Management Companies
Zomba's first enterprise was a management company in London called Zomba Management and Publishers, with Mutt Lange as one of their first clients. His success allowed the company to expand, and eventually the companies split into two entities, creating Zomba Management. Zomba management represents music producers and artists. Zomba Screen Music was formed in 1997 as management company for film composers. In May 2001, Zomba created Ingenuity Entertainment a full-service management company for artists, producers, composers and music supervisors in the film and television industries. The Los Angeles-based company serviced both new and veteran artists, offering music production and business affairs services. Ingenuity Entertainment combined a recently formed management firm, also called Ingenuity, with Zomba Screen Music.Film/Television Services
Most of Zomba's activities in the film and television industry are music related. Zomba Screen Music is their full-service management company for film and television composers. In addition to management, Zomba! Music Services was formed in 1989 as a division offering prerecorded music and publishing services for soundtracks, television and commercials. This also had the effect of promoting Zomba music through the television and film industry. In 1995, Zomba purchased the well-established Segue Music Inc., a film and television music editing company providing music supervision, temp tracks, prerecords, playbacks and soundtrack production. Zomba also had a joint operation with Portman Entertainment called Portman Music, a soundtrack related company Coombe Music International Ltd. as well as a small film production company Zomba Films. In 2005, Zomba began SEE Music, a joint venture with the recently combined BMG/Zomba Publishing and FirstCom Music specifically for motion picture advertising.Personnel
Below is a list of personnel from the various Zomba companies and their active years with the group.| Name | Company/Division | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Bartlett, Laura | Zomba Records Canada | 1999 - ? |
| Biglia, Roberto | Zomba Records Italy S.r.l. | 2000-07-01 - ? |
| Blackstone, Richard | Zomba Music Publishing (Senior VP) | ca. 1989 - ? |
| Bohman, Magnus | Zomba Records Scandinavia AB. | 2000–2001 |
| Carrabba, Tom | Zomba Label Group (GM) | |
| Calder, Clive Clive Calder Clive Calder is a South African-born and UK based record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group and its subsidiary Jive Records. The relocation of Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr... |
Zomba Group of Companies (chairman/CEO) Advisor |
1975 - 2002 2002 - 2003 |
| Davis, Martin | Zomba Records Brazil | 2001-07-01 - ? |
| Fruin, John | Zomba Group of Companies (chairman) | ?? - 1995 |
| Harrit, Irena | Zomba Records Denmark | 2000 |
| Howard, Steven | Zomba Music Publishers (managing director) | 1979–2005 |
| Kitazawa, Tak | Zomba Records Japan K.K. | 2000-10-01 - ? |
| Lee, Chang-Hak | Zomba Records Korea Ltd. | 2000-07-01 - ? |
| Lipari, Julia Kadarusman | Zomba Label Group (Senior VP and Head of Marketing) | |
| Lunt, Steve | Jive (A&R director and vice president) | Late 1970s - 2005 |
| Mantel, David | Zomba Music Publishing (US) | 2005-09-06 - ? |
| Merriweather, Ticemen | Zomba Label Group (VP Publicity) | |
| Murphy, Scott | Zomba Records Australia Pty. Ltd | March 1999 - Feb. 2001 |
| Ng, Julius | Zomba Records Singapore | 1 July 1999 - ? |
| Norsworthy, Kymberlee | Zomba Gospel (Director Publicity) | |
| Ochaita, Andres | Zomba Records Espana SA Zomba Records Portugal |
2000-07-01 - ? 2001-07-01 - ? |
| Paoliello, Paul | Zomba Records Australia Pty. Ltd | 1 March 2001 - 2003 |
| Roberts, Brian | Zomba Music Publishing (Senior VP) | 1993 - ? |
| Ruiz-Davila, Kenneth | Zomba Records Norway (managing director) Zomba Records Scandinavia AB (GM) Zomba Records Sweden (managing director) |
2000 - 2001 2001 - 2003 2001 - 2003 |
| Simon, Ralph Ralph Simon Ralph Simon is regarded as a founder in the modern Mobile Entertainment Industry.Simon co-founded the independent Zomba Group of music companies with Clive Calder in the 1970s. In the mid-90s, he was Executive Vice President of Capitol Records and Blue Note Records in Hollywood and started EMI... |
Zomba Group of Companies (chairman/CEO) | 1975–1990 |
| Takeshita, Frank | Zomba Records (Japan) K.K (GM of MR/promotion) | 2001-09-25 |
| Thielemens, Thierry | Zomba Records Belgium | 2001 - ? |
| Watson, Stuart | Zomba International Label Group (managing director) | 1999 - 2003-10-03 |
| Weiss, Barry Barry Weiss Barry Weiss is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman & CEO of Island Def Jam Motown Music Group and Universal Republic. He served as chairman and CEO of RCA/Jive Label Group from 2008 to 2011 and was also the CEO of its constituent Jive Records from 1991 to 2011... |
Zomba Label Group (president/CEO) | 2002 - April 2008 |
See also
- List of record labels
- Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
- Sony BMG Music EntertainmentSony BMG Music EntertainmentSony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...