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Island Records was founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall but moved to the UK in May 1962. It is most well-known for its promotion of alternative rock and reggae music in the 1970s and 1980s. Until Blackwell sold the label to PolyGram in 1989, Island was the largest indie record label in history.

History

Island as an indie label

Entrepeneur and Jamaican music buff Chris Blackwell and engineer Graeme Goodall founded Island Records in 1959. Published sources agree that Island was named for Island In The Sun, but disagree over whether it is a reference to the novel, the film, the calypso hit by Harry Belafonte, or all three.

While based in Jamaica, the label promoted local music, and Blackwell reportedly sold many records out of the back of his car. The label's first hit came in its inaugural year, with the Laurel Aiken single "Boogie In My Bones", which topped the Jamaican chart for 11 weeks. A year later, the label released its first LP, Lance Heywood at the Half Moon Hotel, catalogue number CB 22 — CB being Blackwell's initials, and twenty-two being his age at the time.

After Jamaica gained independence in 1962, Blackwell relocated the label to the UK. "On the way," Blackwell paid a visit to Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records in New York City to learn more about operating a successful record label.

Island Records Ltd. incorporated in England on May 8, 1962, and set out to market Jamaican music to immigrant communities in London and Birmingham.

In 1964, Island had its first million-seller, the single "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small. Blackwell did not release it on Island, though; he licensed it to Fontana Records in order to avoid overextending Island's resources to meet the demand for one hit record. He later did the same for Spencer Davis Group. Also in 1964, Blackwell & Guy Stevens launched the UK division of the New York-based Sue Records label to promote U.S. R&B artists in the UK.

In January 1966, Island recording artists Spencer Davis Group displaced The Beatles from the #1 spot on the UK pop chart.

In 1967, Island shifted its focus to relatively edgy rock music that appealed to college students, an era ushered in with the signings of Art and Traffic. Most of Island's Jamaican acts were moved to the new spinoff label Trojan Records.

In 1972, Jimmy Cliff, one of Island's reggae artists, left in frustration over Island's waning support for reggae artists. Ironically, later that same year, Island resumed its support of reggae artists with the signing of The Wailers, who, with Bob Marley, brought reggae to a global audience and were Island's biggest-selling artists before U2.

Rise of the Island brand

In the mid-1970s, Island operated its own record pressing plant, but had problems with quality control; many records were defective and had to be returned. Except for this brief period, Island manufactured and released most of its titles in the UK with the assistance of EMI, and in other territories via licensing agreements with other record companies.

Island's overseas licensing arrangements were often such that Island was marketed as the primary label, with Island Records credited on sleeve spines, and Island's label designs appearing prominently on the discs themselves, even when a different company was responsible for the records' manufacture, distribution and marketing. Sometimes the fine print on these releases would mention the other company, sometimes not. Island did incorporate and operate business offices in the U.S. and Canada in the 1970s and 1980s, but even in those territories, Island-branded records were actually released by companies such as Asylum Records (U.S., 1970), Capitol Records (U.S., early 1970s), Warner Bros. Records (U.S., 1975–1982), WEA Records (Canada, et al.), Atlantic Records (U.S., 1982–1989), Phonogram Records (Germany, 1970s), Ariola Records (Germany & Netherlands, late 1970s–1989), Dacapo (Portugal), and others. One anomaly is that Festival Records (Australia & New Zealand) got to promote its brand more prominently than most.

Although this strategy of the Island brand dominating releases helped prevent the brand from becoming marginalized, Island struggled as a business in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bob Marley had passed away, Irish alternative rock band U2, which had signed to Island in March 1980, were growing in popularity, but had not reached the international superstar status that was to come, and a joint arrangement with Trevor Horn's fledgling ZTT label had diminishing returns. Blackwell had also used the label to finance a new film production and distribution company, Island Alive, in 1983. In the mid-1980s, U2 helped keep the label afloat with a loan that Blackwell repaid by expanding U2's royalties and giving the band control of its master recordings.

Island under PolyGram

In July 1989, Blackwell sold Island Records and Island Music to PolyGram UK Group for £272 million. From this point on, Island was no longer an independent company, although PolyGram continued to market the brand. Blackwell stayed on as CEO of PolyGram's Island Entertainment division.

PolyGram immediately began reissuing much of the Island back catalogue on compact disc and expanded Island's reach through its global manufacture and distribution network, but the label was relatively unfocused in the 1990s. Its 4th & Broadway division, operating since the mid-1980s, achieved some success marketing alternative hip hop and dance-pop music. In November 1997, Blackwell resigned from Island Entertainment (some sources say he was fired) and went on to form Palm Pictures the following year. In December 1998, Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it into Universal Music Group.

Island under Universal Music Group

The Universal years have, thus far, resulted in tremendous dilution of brands; releases are inconsistently marketed as being "on" any number of labels which range from historic brands like Island to conglomerate holding companies, music groups, label groups, and miscellaneous divisions of Universal Music that formed from numerous mergers and acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s:

  • In December 1998 and the first three months of 1999, Universal Music Group put the Island brand in the control of three divisions: one in the UK, one in the U.S., and one in Germany. In each territory, these companies were merged under umbrella groups:
  • In March 1999, in the UK, Island Records Ltd. (the Island half of Island Mercury Group) was renamed Universal-Island Records Ltd., and Mercury took over the marketing of Island's roster of U.S. artists in that territory. Thus, Island and Universal-Island became synonymous with primarily UK and European artists. Island Mercury is sometimes used as a brand, as well.
  • Releases bearing the Island brand are also sometimes issued via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) and UM3 (UM3), umbrella organizations formed in October 1999 to handle special-market releases and catalogue reissue compilations for the U.S. and the rest of the world, respectively. UMe and UM3 releases are coordinated by a constituent label company like Hip-O Records and bear its logo, but also typically promote a confusing array of other Universal-owned brands, including Island, with varying degrees of prominence.
  • Around 2002, Island Mercury Group became Island Records Group.
  • Some early 2000s releases by U2 are credited to "Interscope/Island Records". This is not a separate company, but rather just a co-branded alias for Interscope Records, much the way "Manhattan Island Records" was used for a handful of Grace Jones releases on Manhattan Records (a division of Capitol Records) in the mid-1980s.
  • In January 2003, four divisions of Universal Music Germany merged into two: Motor Music and Urban/Def Jam become Motor Urban Def Jam, and Polydor Records merged with Island Mercury Labelgroup to form Polydor Island Group. In 2004, these divisions merged again, and Universal Music Germany restructured to have only two divisions: Universal Music Domestic Division and Universal Music International Division. Any of these divisions, or even Universal Music Germany itself, may be credited as the label on a given release, alongside or in place of Island.

Subsidiaries

This list is probably incomplete, and some of the dates are uncertain.

Notable signed artists

Notable artists and date of signing:

See also

External links

British record labels | Jamaican record labels | Reggae record labels | Vivendi subsidiaries | 1959 establishments

Island Records | Island Records | Island Records | アイランド・レコード | Island Records | Island Records

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Island Records".

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