is an
American specialty
Record Label , owned by
Warner Music Group .
Originally, Rhino was in the
1970 s and
1980 s a reissue label, releasing compilation albums of
Pop Music ,
Rock & Roll , and
R&B hits from the 1950s through the 1980s. They were also known for releasing retrospectives of famous comedy performers, including
Richard Pryor ,
Stan Freberg ,
Tom Lehrer , and
Spike Jones . Starting in the early 1990s, Rhino transititioned into a full-fledged entertainment unit specializing in home video/
DVD re-issues of television shows such as ''
The Transformers '', ''
G.I. Joe '', ''
Jem '', ''
The Lone Ranger '', ''
My Favorite Martian '', and ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 '', and
Compact Disc releases of select artists and movie soundtracks.
Rhino started as a record shop in 1973 by
Richard Foos . It became a record label five years later thanks to the effort of then-store manager
Harold Bronson . Their early releases were mostly novelty records (with their first single being
Wild Man Fischer 's "Go To Rhino Records") and some punk rock singles; the difficulties involved in getting airplay and distribution for such material eventually caused Foos and Bronson to take the label in other directions. By the mid-1980s most of their releases were reissues of previously released recordings licensed from other companies. Superior sound quality (remastering of the original tapes was done under the direction of
Bill Inglot ) and creative packaging made Rhino one of the most respected reissue labels, getting rave reviews from music collectors, fans, and historians. Rhino was quick to get into the
Compact Disc market, releasing dozens of
Oldies CDs at the dawn of the CD age in
1984 . Their retrospective compact disc releases are often
Remaster ed to restore or improve upon the original analog release’s audio quality.
They also continued to produce new music, with releases on subsidiary labels such as RNA (Rhino New Artists) and Forward, as well as the main Rhino label. However, the labels' artists tended to generate more critical acclaim than public interest; sales totals in the low five figures or less were routine for Rhino-produced albums, and the less costly, less risky reissue business remained the company’s primary revenue stream. One exception was the late-1986 hit "At This Moment" by
Billy Vera & The Beaters , a 1981 song that unexpectedly made it to the top of the U.S.
Billboard charts after being featured in a 1986 episode of the hit
NBC-TV series
Family Ties .
In 1986, Rhino signed a six-year distribution agreement with
Capitol Records . In 1989 Rhino and Capitol’s parent
EMI made a deal to jointly acquire
Roulette Records ; Rhino received the US rights to Roulette's catalog, excluding jazz. When the distribution deal with Capitol ended in 1992, Rhino signed a new distribution deal with
Warner Strategic Marketing , and in turn
Time Warner bought a 50% stake in the record company. In 1998, Time Warner bought the other half of Rhino; thus the company became a wholly owned unit of Time Warner and, in 1999, they formed the “Rhino Handmade” imprint of limited edition reissues.
It is through this merger that the label has released remastered editions of collections from such bands as '', and ''
Finian's Rainbow ''.
Rhino also owns the rights to
The Monkees ’ master tapes and film footage (which they acquired from
Raybert Productions in the late 1980s), and thus has released home videos and CDs from the group.
In 2003, longtime Rhino executives Richard Foos and Harold Bronson left Rhino, reportedly due to frustration at being unable to release compilation albums in an increasingly-competitive market. Soon after, Foos inaugurated a new label,
Shout Factory , which began releasing dozens of CDs and videos mirroring the original early-1990s Rhino philosophy.
In 2004, Time Warner spun off its music divisions and today Rhino is part of the newly organized
Warner Music Group .
In addition to dealing with archive material, the label also manages the US distribution or worldwide production of compilations for more recent Warner acts, including still-active artists such as
Enya ,
New Order , and
Chicago .
Similar music companies include
Hip-O Records ,
Varese Sarabande , and
Sony Music 's
Legacy Recordings , as well as
Ace Records of Britain and
Bear Family of Germany.
