Vanity Label Article Index for
Vanity
Website Links For
Vanity
 

Information About

Vanity Label




Record labels generally do this for a few reasons:

  • It pleases and retains the famous recording artist.

  • It allows for potentially high amounts of sales for artists on the vanity label with relatively little promotional expense, since fans are attracted to those artists via the association with the famous artist.


Many music critics like vanity labels as they allow bands in niche genres or with experimental or unusual music to receive more distribution than would normally be present.

Examples of vanity labels are Nothing Records (founded by Trent Reznor ) and Aftermath Entertainment (founded by Dr. Dre ). See the table below.


STATUS

In 2004 , record companies have drastically cut funding to many vanity labels, as they are seen to have underperformed. The future of vanity labels is in question.

Vanity labels, along with genre specific subsidiary labels, mask the amount of concentration in the music industry. They create the illusion that there are far more record labels then there actually are. On the other hand though, many subsidiary labels and vanity labels are given a great deal of autonomy, so that the overall result is greater distribution and exposure of what can be labeled " Independent Music ".


PROMINENT VANITY LABELS




style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Vanity
Label
style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Founding
Artist
style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Founded
style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Notable Artists Released
style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Major Label Partner  (at founding)
style="vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Status
















































































































Reprise Records Frank Sinatra 1960 Frank Sinatra
Neil Young
Fleetwood Mac
Steely Dan
WEA (now Warner Music Group ) Now considered a major record label
Grunt Records Jefferson Airplane 1971 Jefferson Airplane , Jefferson Starship, Starship RCA Records (now Sony BMG Music Entertainment ) Imprint not used after 1987
Rolling Stones Records Rolling Stones 1971 Rolling Stones Atlantic Records ( WEA ) (now Warner Music Group ) Albums now released by Virgin Records
Swan Song Records Led Zeppelin May 10 , 1974 Led Zeppelin
Bad Company
Atlantic Records ( WEA ) (now Warner Music Group ) disbanded ('' 1983 '')
Duck Records Eric Clapton -- Eric Clapton Reprise Records ( WEA ) (now Warner Music Group ) active
Es Paranza Records Robert Plant 1983 Robert Plant Atlantic Records (WEA) (now Warner Music Group ) --
Paisley Park Records Prince 1986 Prince
Sheila E.
Warner Brothers Records (WEA) (now Warner Music Group ) closed ('' 1994 '')
Maverick Records Madonna 1992 Madonna , Alanis Morissette , The Prodigy (in the US), others Warner Brothers Records Effectively dissolved following lawsuit in 2004
Nothing Records Trent Reznor 1992 Nine Inch Nails
Marilyn Manson
Interscope Records   (now Universal Music Group )

apparently discontinued
('' 2004 '')
MJJ Records Michael Jackson 1993 Michael Jackson Epic Records ( Sony Music Entertainment ) seeking new distribution partner ('' 2004 '')
Aftermath Records Dr. Dre 1996 Dr. Dre
Eminem
50 Cent
Eve
Busta Rhymes
The Game
Interscope Records   (now Universal Music Group )

active ('' 2005 '')
Attack Records Morrissey originally ran from 1969 - 1980 , revived 2003 Morrissey
Nancy Sinatra
Jobriath
Sanctuary Records

active ('' 2005 '')
Apple Records The Beatles originally ran from 1968 - 1976 , revived 1994 for Beatles CD rereleases The Beatles
John Lennon
Paul McCartney / Wings
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Badfinger
Mary Hopkin
Yoko Ono
David Peel
Ravi Shankar
John Tavener
James Taylor
Parlophone ( Capitol Records in the US)

active ('' 2006 ''); see also Apple Corps
Star Trak The Neptunes 2003 Clipse
Fam-Lay
High Speed Scene
N.E.R.D.
Pharrell Williams
Robin Thicke
Rosco P. Coldchain
Slim Thug
Snoop Dogg
Interscope Records   (now Universal Music Group )

active ('' 2006 '')


''("--" indicates information not available)''