Elektra Records
Parent company	Warner Music Group
Founded	1950
Founder	Jac Holzman Paul Rickholt
Distributing label	Atlantic Records (In the US) WEA International (outside US)
Genre	Various
Country of origin	US
Official website	http://atlanticrecords.com/

Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG) and, from 2004 on, operating under WMG's Atlantic Records Group. Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Jac Holzman (born 1931 founded Elektra Records in his St John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal

History

Beginnings

Elektra was formed in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickholt, who both invested $300. Events January 3 - Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis Tennessee. Jac Holzman (born 1931 founded Elektra Records in his St John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964 The usual spelling of the Greek mythological heroine Electra was changed, with Holzman famously explaining, “I gave her the ‘K’ that I lacked. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, Electra ( Greek:Ηλέκτρα was an Argosian princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra ”

The first Elektra LP, “New Songs” (EKLP 1 released March 1950), was a collection of Lieder which sold few copies. de Lied (plural de Lieder) (liːt plural) is a German word meaning literally " Song " among English speakers however the word During the Fifties and early Sixties the label concentrated on folk music recordings, releasing a number of best-selling albums by Judy Collins and protest singers such as Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton, but by the mid-Sixties it had branched out into pop, gaining considerable prestige on the music scene by being one of the first labels to sign up leading acts from the new wave of American psychedelic rock of 1966–67. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards Singer A protest song is a Song which Protests against perceived problems in Society. Philip David Ochs ( December 19 1940 – April 9 1976) was a U Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is a well-known American folk singer and Singer-songwriter who has been writing Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. The label’s most important signings were the Chicago-based Paul Butterfield Blues Band (with Mike Bloomfield), the Los Angeles bands Love and The Doors, and the Detroit bands The Stooges and MC5. Paul Butterfield ( December 17 1942 – May 4 1987) was an American Blues Harmonica player and Singer For the astronaut see Michael J Bloomfield. Michael Bernard Bloomfield ( July 28 1943, Chicago, Illinois Love was an American Rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s This article is about the band For their self-titled debut album see The Doors (album; for the Oliver Stone film see The Doors (film; for Doors in computing The Stooges are an American rock band that was active from 1967 to 1974 then reformed in 2003 The MC5 ( Motor City Five) was an American Hard rock band formed in Lincoln Park Michigan in 1964 and active until

Also in 1967, Elektra launched its influential Nonesuch Explorer Series, one of the first collections of what is now referred to as world music. Nonesuch Records is an American Record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through WEA International with business affairs handled The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians Excerpts from several Nonesuch Explorer recordings were later included on the two Voyager Golden Discs which were sent into deep space in 1977 aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes. The Voyager Golden Record is a Phonograph record included in the two Voyager Spacecraft launched in 1977 The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram robotic Space probe of the outer Solar system and beyond launched September 5, Voyager 2 is an unmanned Interplanetary Spacecraft launched on August 20, 1977.

The Asylum Records merger

Elektra was acquired by Kinney National Company in 1970, along with the Nonesuch Records subsidiary. Kinney National Services Inc was formed in 1966 when the Kinney Parking Company and the National Cleaning Company merged Nonesuch Records is an American Record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through WEA International with business affairs handled Soon afterwards Kinney consolidated their label holdings under the Warner Communications umbrella. Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. Holzman remained in charge of Elektra until 1972, when it merged with Asylum Records to become Elektra/Asylum Records, with Asylum's founder, David Geffen, now in charge. Asylum Records is an American Record label, owned by Warner Music Group, founded by agent-managers David Geffen and Elliot Roberts in 1971 David Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American Record executive, Film producer, Theatrical producer and philanthropist Holzman was appointed senior vice president and chief technologist for Warner and ushered the company into home video and the first interactive cable system. Holzman also went on to start Discovery Records. a Discovery Record by Red Norvo Discovery Records was a United States based In 1975 Geffen stepped down due to health problems.

Although the company was technically listed as “Elektra/Asylum Records” on the label credits, as the years went on the company began to unofficially call itself Elektra Records again, with Asylum operating as a subsidiary label. In 1982 the label established Elektra Musician as a jazz subsidiary. Bob Krasnow became president and CEO of Elektra in 1983, and under his leadership the label continued to thrive. Bob Krasnow (born Robert A Krasnow in 1935 is a leading music industry entrepreneur

Elektra Entertainment Group

In 1989, the company officially changed its name to Elektra Entertainment. Krasnow was replaced by Sylvia Rhone, who took over as CEO in 1994; the same year, the label became Elektra Entertainment Group. Sylvia Rhone (born March 11 1952 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania began her music career in 1974 with Buddha Records. During this time, Elektra developed a relationship with the UK-based label 4 AD, becoming the North American distributor for 4AD acts such as the Pixies, The Breeders, Frank Black and The Amps. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Pixies are an American Alternative rock band formed in Boston Massachusetts in 1986 The Breeders are an American Alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Throwing Muses ' Tanya Donelly The Amps were an indie-rock band from Dayton Ohio. Formed by Kim Deal in 1995 after The Breeders went on hiatus they first began touring as " This eventually led to Elektra's sister label, Warner Strategic Marketing, signing an exclusive American distribution deal for nearly all 4AD releases from 1992 to 1998.

Despite having a large stable of noted acts, as the 1990s drew to a close, Elektra began to see a slump in revenue, while noticeably underperforming on the charts. It also developed a bit of a sullen reputation in the industry for not properly promoting many of its releases, thus earning the nickname "Neglectra" by many of its acts, and was easily lagging behind its sister labels, Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock

Atlantic absorption

Rhino's Elektra box set "Forever Changing: the Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973"

In February 2004, Warner Music Group was sold by Time Warner to a group of private investors made up of Thomas Lee Partners, Bain & Company, and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. (who assumed CEO duties). Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. Bain & Company is a Management consulting firm headquartered in Boston Massachusetts. Edgar Miles Bronfman Jr (born May 16, 1955) formerly CEO of Seagram and vice-chairman of Vivendi Universal, has been CEO of Warner Music

Looking for ways to save money, the new owners of WMG decided to merge Elektra and Atlantic Records. Because it was the lesser performing label of the two, 40% of Elektra's operations were put into the new venture, while a commanding 60% of Atlantic's went in. Subsequently, the new company was called "Atlantic Records Group" with Elektra breaking off into a subsidiary.

The current status of Elektra, and whether or not it will continue to operate, is somewhat uncertain. Although WMG has not made any official announcement that Elektra has been dismantled, and keeps its name and logo highlighted as a seemingly active imprint on press statements, Elektra's name has not been on a noted release since the merger with Atlantic Records. In the time since, many of its acts have had their material released through Atlantic instead.

Elektra's catalog continues to be released/reissued by Rhino Records, which released a 5-CD box set various-artists compilation titled Forever Changing: the Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973 in November, 2006. Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty Record label and production company owned by Warner Music Group. A compilation album is an Album ( Music or Spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple Recording artists, often culled from a variety of

Company logos

The first logo; used in the early to mid 1950s.	The second logo; used from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s.	The third logo; used from the mid to late 1960s.	The fourth logo; used from the late 1960s to the late 1970s.
The fifth logo; briefly used in the middle 1970s, following Elektra's merger with Asylum.	The sixth logo; used in the early 1980s.	The seventh logo; used from early mid to late 1980s.	The final logo; used from 1989 to 2004.

See also

• Atlantic Records
• Elektra Records artists
• List of record labels

External links

• Elektra discography to 1973
• Elektra website (redirected to Atlantic Records Web site)

References

• A full history of Elektra's Holzman years can be found in Jac Holzman's book Follow the Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the Great Years of American Pop Culture. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock This is a list of artists who have recorded for Elektra Records, or any of its subsidiary labels This is a list of notable Record labels Due to the large number of entries the list has been divided by the first character of the label's name See also Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock First Media Books (1998). ISBN 0966122119.