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MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group (now Universal Music Group), of which MCA Records was still part. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. MCA Records was later absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003. Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label

Contents

Pre-history

MCA entered the recorded music business in 1962 with the purchase of the New York-based US Decca Records branch (established in 1934[1]), including Coral Records and Brunswick Records. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the label that owned Coral Records see Decca Records. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. As American Decca owned Universal Pictures, MCA assumed full ownership of Universal and made it into the top film studio in town, producing hit after hit. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American [2] In 1966, MCA formed Uni Records[3] and in 1967 purchased Kapp Records. Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records) was a Record label owned by MCA Inc. Kapp Records was a Record label started in 1955 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who had set up American Decca Records in 1934 [4]

MCA Records formation outside North America

MCA's Decca Records only had the rights to the Decca name in North and South America and parts of Asia including Japan. British Decca owned the rights to the Decca name in most of the world. The two Deccas severed their ties during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the war, British Decca formed a new American subsidiary, London Records. London Records is a Record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin

American Decca issued their records outside North America on the Brunswick and Coral labels. In 1967, the Brunswick and Coral labels were replaced by the MCA label to release American Decca and Kapp label material outside North America. [5]

Among the first releases on the U. K. MCA Records label were the debut albums of British rock groups such as Budgie (1971), Stackridge (1971), and Wishbone Ash (1970. Budgie are a Welsh Hard rock band from Cardiff, South Glamorgan. Stackridge are a British folk, pop and Progressive rock group who were at the height of their success during the early 1970s Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved particular success in the early and mid-1970s with their most critically acclaimed records including ) Early releases were distributed by U. K. Decca but soon moved to EMI. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in U. K. releases from the mid 1970s and later were self distributed. There are at least 3 common label designs on early MCA U. K. releases. As the U. S. division of MCA was not established until 1972, the U. S. versions of these three recordings were released on Kapp and Decca instead.

MCA U. K. also issued American Brunswick material on the MCA label until MCA lost control of Brunswick in 1970 at which point American Brunswick material was issued in the UK on the Brunswick label. Uni label material was issued on the Uni label worldwide.

MCA Records

In 1970, MCA reorganized its Canadian record company Compo Company Ltd. Compo Company Ltd was Canada's first independent record company into MCA Records (Canada). [6]

In 1971, MCA consolidated the New York based Decca and Kapp labels plus the California based Uni label into MCA Records based in Universal City, California. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County California, that encompasses the 415 acre ( The three labels maintained their identities for a short time but were retired in favor of the MCA label in 1973. [7][8] The first MCA Records release in the US was former Uni artist Elton John's Crocodile Rock in 1972. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer " Crocodile Rock " is a Song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in June 1972 at the Strawberry Studios Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [9] In 1973, the final Decca pop label release was issued. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. The catalogues of the Decca, Uni and Kapp labels were reissued on the MCA label.

In the same period a music icon scored a series of hit singles and albums on MCA (at that time Kapp Records): Cher. Cher ( IPA: /ʃɛr/ born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20 1946 While Sonny & Cher became less popular, Cher as a solo artist reached the #1 and the Top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 and internationally with the singles Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (1971) on Kapp, "Half-Breed" (1973) on MCA and Dark Lady (1974) and other singles released from the albums of the same name. Sonny & Cher were an American Pop music duo made up of husband and wife team Sonny Bono and Cher in the 1960s and 1970s The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. " Gypsys Tramps & Thieves " is the first single released by Cher for her seventh album. " Half-Breed " is a song released as a single in 1973 by singer/actress Cher. " Dark Lady " is a song released as a single in 1974 by singer/actress Cher. With these successes Cher became the most popular female artist in the world and one of the biggest-selling artists of the 1970s. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.

MCA also profited from reissuing in the 1970s classic early rock and roll recordings made by artists who recorded for the numerous labels absorbed by MCA over the years. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African One notable example was the 1954 Decca recording Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, which was featured as the lead track of MCA's No. For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself 1-charting American Graffiti soundtrack album, and as a single returned to the American top 40 that year, 20 years after it was recorded. American Graffiti is a period Coming of age film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck

In 1977 MCA president Sidney Sheinberg set up the Infinity Records division, based in New York City with Ron Alexenberg as CEO. Sidney "Sid" Jay Sheinberg (born 1935, Corpus Christi Texas) is an American entertainment executive Infinity Records was a short lived subsidiary of MCA Records established in New York City in 1977 The City of New York Alexenberg had previously been with the Epic division of CBS Records, now Sony BMG. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group The intention was to give MCA a stronger presence on the east coast. The only big hit the Infinity label had was Escape by Rupert Holmes which was #1 at the end of 1979. " Escape " (later known as " Escape (The Piña Colada Song " was the highest-charting hit for Rupert Holmes, released off his album Rupert Holmes (born February 24, 1947) is an American - British Composer, Singer-songwriter, Musician and Infinity also had some success with Hot Chocolate, Spyro Gyra, New England and TKO. Hot chocolate (also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate or just cocoa) is a heated Beverage that typically consists of Spyro Gyra (ˌspaɪroʊˈdʒaɪrə is an American Jazz fusion band that was originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo New York, USA New England was an American Rock band that was mainly active from 1978-1982 TKO was a hard rock/heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. But MCA pulled the plug on Infinity after it failed to sell most of the 1 million advance copies of an album featuring Pope John Paul II in October 1979. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Infinity was fully absorbed by the parent company in 1980.

In 1979, MCA acquired ABC Records along with its subsidiaries Paramount Records, Dunhill Records, Impulse Records, Westminster Records, and Dot Records. ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres Paramount Records was a Record label started in 1969 by Paramount Pictures (then a unit of Gulf+Western) after acquiring the rights to the name Dunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions Impulse! Records was an American based Jazz Record label, originally launched in 1960 by Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Westminster Records was an American Classical music record label Dot Records was an American Record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. ABC had acquired the Paramount and Dot labels when they purchased Gulf+Western's record labels, the Famous Music Group, thus MCA now controlled the following material once owned by Paramount Pictures: the music released by Paramount's record labels, and the pre-1950 films by Paramount as well. Gulf and Western Industries Inc, for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate. Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom. The better selling ABC Records catalogue albums were reissued on the MCA label. [10]

The combined effects of the Infinity Records failure, the purchase of ABC Records, rising vinyl costs and a huge slump in record sales produced tremendous losses for the company between 1979 and 1982. It was not until the mid 1980s that the record labels returned to significant profitability. MCA received negative publicity when it tried to raise the list prices of new albums from $8. 98 to $9. 98. Steely Dan's Gaucho was the first $9. Steely Dan is a American rock band centered on core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Gaucho was Steely Dan's last album before the band's 10-year breakup from June 1981 to October 1991 98 list album in November 1980. Tom Petty succeeded in his campaign to force the label to drop prices back to $8. Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20 1950 is an American singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist 98 for his album Hard Promises released in May 1981. Hard Promises is the fourth Album by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released in May 1981

The Chess Records catalog was acquired from the remnants of Sugar Hill Records in 1985. Chess Records was an American Record label based in Chicago Illinois. Sugar Hill Records was the name of a Rap music Record label that was founded in 1974 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Motown Records was bought in 1988 (and sold to PolyGram in 1993). "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 GRP Records and Geffen Records were acquired in 1990. History Previously the duo had formed Grusin/Rosen Productions as a freelance production team in 1976 making records for labels such as RCA Blue Note and CTI with artists like Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Unlike most of MCA's previous acquisitions, the GRP and Geffen labels kept their identities and MCA created a new holding company called MCA Music Entertainment Group. In the same year, the MCA Inc. parent company was purchased by the Matsushita group.

MCA Music Entertainment Group becomes Universal Music Group

In 1995, Seagram Company Ltd. acquired 80% of MCA and the following year the new owners dropped the MCA name; the company became Universal Studios, Inc. and its music division, MCA Music Entertainment Group, was renamed Universal Music Group. For the rapper Seagram, see Seagram Miller The Seagram Company Ltd Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry.

In 1998 Seagram acquired PolyGram (owner of British Decca) from Philips and merged it with its music holdings. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV ( Royal Philips Electronics Inc. When Seagram's drinks business was bought by France-based Pernod Ricard, its media holdings (including Universal) were sold to Vivendi which became Vivendi Universal which was later renamed back to Vivendi SA after selling most of the entertainment division (which included Universal Pictures) to General Electric. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Pernod Ricard ( is a French company that produces Alcoholic beverages The company's most famous products Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are VIVENDI is a software package for care management and staff organisation published by the German software company CONNEXT and introduced in 1995 Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American

MCA label phaseout

In spring 2003, the MCA Records label was absorbed by Geffen Records,[11] which continues to manage MCA's rock, pop, and urban back catalogues (including those from ABC Records and Famous Music Group). Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. See also 2003 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Its country music label, MCA Nashville Records is still in operation. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group 's Country music subsidiary MCA's jazz catalogue is managed by Verve Records, while its classical music catalogue is managed by Deutsche Grammophon. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical Record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity. MCA's musical theatre catalogue is managed by Decca Records on its Decca Broadway imprint. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis.

First MCA Records logo, used outside North America and patterned after the 1960s American Decca logo.

MCA Records logo used from 1972 through 1991.

Logo used from 1991 through 1997.

Final MCA Records logo, used from 1997 until its dismantling in 2003.

MCA Records in culture

Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, which recorded under the MCA label, normally opens shows with its song "Workin' for MCA", which is based on their own experience with the label. Lynyrd Skynyrd (ˌlɛnɚdˈskɪnɝd is an American Southern rock band

MCA Records recording artists

Main article: List of MCA Records artists

See also

References

  1. ^ Decca Records
  2. ^ After the Octopus - TIME
  3. ^ Universal City Records [UNI] Album Discography
  4. ^ Kapp Records
  5. ^ MCA Records
  6. ^ MCA Records (Canada)
  7. ^ Universal City Records [UNI] Album Discography
  8. ^ Hall, Claude: "MCA Drops Vocalion, Decca, Kapp and Uni", Billboard, February 10, 1973
  9. ^ Crocodile Rock by Elton John Songfacts
  10. ^ ABC-Paramount Records Story
  11. ^ [1]

External links

The following is a list of artists who have had recordings with MCA Records. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records) was a Record label owned by MCA Inc. Kapp Records was a Record label started in 1955 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who had set up American Decca Records in 1934 ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres Dunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions Chess Records was an American Record label based in Chicago Illinois. Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group 's Country music subsidiary Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. Infinity Records was a short lived subsidiary of MCA Records established in New York City in 1977 Uptown Records was an American Record label, founded by Andre Harrell in the late-1980s
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