Internet revolution begins in 1993: number of hosts = 2 million.
I have chosen these events because they are the events which had the biggest impacts in the music industry, for example if Thomas Edison didn’t invent the voice recorder, the music industry would have not started until a later date. Also the internet was a major event because it allows people to download any songs they want, so they would not have to buy albums for only one song they want from it.
The ‘Global Big Six’ record companies are:
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Philips – who owns Polygram, A&M, Mercury and island
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Sony – who owns CBS records
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Matsushita – who owns MCA and Geffen
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Thorn-EMI – who owns Capitol and Virgin
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Time Warner – who doesn’t own any major companies
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Bertelsmann – who owns RCA records
As a part of my essay I have also researched Sony one of the ‘Global Big Six’ record companies.
Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. Almost 60 years since the company first began trading, it has grown from 20 employees to over 160,000 people around the world. Eventually the company grew into a more than $60 billion global organization.
Sony owns six labels in the USA, which are:
- Columbia Records
- Epic Records
- Legacy Recordings
- Sony Classical
- Sony Nashville
- Sony Wonder
Columbia Records is on e of the oldest and most respected record label in the world, they trace its origins back to the late 1880s. Columbia Records has brought in superstars like Destiny’s child, Ricky Martin and etc.
Epic Records which was launched in 1953, and is home to artists from virtually every musical genre, including superstars as B2K, Jennifer Lopez and many more.
Legacy Recordings is home to the finest in rare and collectible recordings by artists like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and many more.
Sony Classical produces recordings of new classical music; they also do film soundtracks and Broadway Musicals. Singers Mario Frangoulis and Aselin Debison are signed to Sony Classical.
Sony Nashville is home to the country music division of Columbia Records. Sony Nashville is also the home of catalog recordings from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
Sony Wonder produces children’s and family entertainment audio and video. Sony Wonder includes series which are “World Wrestling Entertainment”, “Kathy Smith” etc.
The biggest ‘money-making’ artist on these labels is ‘Jennifer Lopez’ in my opinion. The reason I chose her is because she has been an artist for a long time, and doesn’t only sing, she also plays in films, which gives me an idea of her making a lot of money.
Sony owns companies which are non-music related. Some of these companies are:
- Sony Playstation
- Sony VAIO
- Sony Pictures
- Sony Digital Master
Labels like Rocafela and Shady Aftermack are known for particular music genres, for example Rap and Hip Hop. They do this because they want to attract a certain circle of people and it also gives a better image for record companies that are not very known. These labels own artists like Jay Z, Eminem, D12 and etc.
All the research I have done within this essay I used the internet and a timeline provided by my teacher, who as well printed it from the internet. I used google search and Sony official sites to find relevant information for my essay.