A&E Records
Encyclopedia
A&E Records is an United Kingdom
-based record label
imprint, owned by Warner Music Group
, and operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG.
A&E Records was formalised on 19 May 2003, when the NewsCorp Music Group
of independent record labels, comprising Mushroom Records UK, Infectious Records
, Ultimate Dilemma, Perfecto
and 48K, were absorbed into WMG's East West
after 20 months of negotiations, with all of its roster transferring over. On 14 November 2004, A&E Records was realigned, and transferred across the company to within the Warner Bros label.
in 1993 by Gary Ashley, as an offshoot of the Australian independent label Mushroom Records
, which had been formed in 1972 by Michael Gudinski
and Ray Evans in Melbourne
. Mushroom Records UK was intended mainly to serve the UK with Australian musical imports. Marshall had previously been RCA's
head of A&R
, and had left the company to establish his own Infectious Records which he aligned under Mushroom Records UK.
The label's first worldwide signing was US rock group Garbage
, who became the flagship for the label, achieving multi-million sales with their first album release
. Concerned that they were only known in the United Kingdom for the Neighbours
theme, to move away from the association, Mushroom founded the Discordant label for the sole purpose of launching Garbage. Although following their debut single
, Garbage were reconciled with the main label, a few Australian acts such as Garageland
and Deadstar
were licensed to Discordant.
Mushroom had early success with Australian singer Peter Andre
, while retaining a diverse roster signing UK acts such as The Wildhearts
, and importing Australian acts such as Deni Hines
, Christian Fry, Ween
, Antenna, Sister2Sister
, VAST
and Yothu Yindi
. Several acts were signed to Infectious Records, including Ash
, Symposium
, My Vitriol
, Cable
, Seafood
, Elevator Suite
and Pop Will Eat Itself
, while Mushroom licensed local signing Muse
from Taste Media
. Sub labels Perfecto had successes with Paul Oakenfold
and off-shoot label 48K artist Timo Maas
; sister label Ultimate Dilemma also had Zero 7
, Magnet
and Roots Manuva
on its books. In 1999, Mushroom Records UK was one of only two labels who wanted to sign singer Kylie Minogue
(ultimately she chose to sign to Parlophone
).
With these acts charting highly brought Mushroom to the front stage of music in the UK, with an initial £5,000 turnover
increasing to £23m over its 10 years, however Marshall began to extricate Mushroom UK from the Mushroom family during 2001, after the parent company had been sold in 1999 to Rupert Murdoch
's Newscorp, and merged with his Festival Records to form Festival Mushroom Records. Mushroom Records UK was slowly wound down as negotiations crystallised; its last release was the Garbage single "Shut Your Mouth
" in September 2002.
and Freeform Five
, while Korda Marshall took up the position of managing director with the label. WMG completed its acquisition of Mushroom Records UK for around $15m (£9.2m) and East West absorbed the functions of Mushroom, which was closed the week prior. East West immediately re-issued its new artists back catalogue albums through A&E Records and Warner Strategic Marketing
distribution.
The following year, from 25 June 2004, East West was subject to the rebranding
as one of WMG's two frontline UK labels, changing to Atlantic Records
(the other label WEA London becoming Warner Bros). On 14 November of that year, Marshall became managing director of Warner Bros. A&E Records was realigned, and transferred across the company to Warner Bros. The Infectious brand name and logo
also transferred from Atlantic, along with Ash, Garbage and Muse.
A&E Records has continued to release records by Garbage, Timo Maas and Peter Andre, and to release Muse records through sub-label Helium 3. The role of Infectious within Warner Bros has been decreased and not including Ash releases, is being used for launching newly signed acts such as The Subways
and Larrikin Love
. Former parent Festival Mushroom Records was acquired by WMG on 21 October 2005 and its labels and artists absorbed into Warner Music Australia, however none of those artists have been transferred to A&E Records.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
imprint, owned by Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, and operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG.
A&E Records was formalised on 19 May 2003, when the NewsCorp Music Group
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
of independent record labels, comprising Mushroom Records UK, Infectious Records
Infectious Records
Infectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
, Ultimate Dilemma, Perfecto
Perfecto Records
Perfecto Records is a United Kingdom based Trance record label founded by Paul Oakenfold in 1989.-History:Perfecto was founded by electronic music record producer and DJ Paul Oakenfold in 1989...
and 48K, were absorbed into WMG's East West
East West Records
East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...
after 20 months of negotiations, with all of its roster transferring over. On 14 November 2004, A&E Records was realigned, and transferred across the company to within the Warner Bros label.
Mushroom Records UK
Mushroom Records UK was set up in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1993 by Gary Ashley, as an offshoot of the Australian independent label Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
, which had been formed in 1972 by Michael Gudinski
Michael Gudinski
Michael Solomon Gudinski, AM is an Australian entrepreneur and businessman currently based in Melbourne who is a leading figure in the Australian music industry...
and Ray Evans in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Mushroom Records UK was intended mainly to serve the UK with Australian musical imports. Marshall had previously been RCA's
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
head of A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
, and had left the company to establish his own Infectious Records which he aligned under Mushroom Records UK.
The label's first worldwide signing was US rock group Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
, who became the flagship for the label, achieving multi-million sales with their first album release
Garbage (album)
Garbage is the debut album by Scottish/American alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in the late summer and autumn of 1995 worldwide, following critical acclaim and promising chart positions for their debut single "Vow", which entered the Billboard Hot 100.Garbage eventually spent over a...
. Concerned that they were only known in the United Kingdom for the Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
theme, to move away from the association, Mushroom founded the Discordant label for the sole purpose of launching Garbage. Although following their debut single
Vow (Garbage song)
"Vow" is a 1994 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock band Garbage and was released as their debut single in early 1995. The song, which had its themes of revenge and retaliation inspired by a newspaper article on domestic abuse, began as a demo during sessions between band...
, Garbage were reconciled with the main label, a few Australian acts such as Garageland
Garageland
Garageland was an indie rock band on New Zealand's Flying Nun record label. Influenced by Pixies, Pavement, The Clean and The Velvet Underground, they were critically acclaimed in the UK and US for their well-crafted and catchy pop songs...
and Deadstar
Deadstar
Deadstar was an Australian band from Melbourne based around the songs of singer Caroline Kennedy and guitarist Barry Palmer ....
were licensed to Discordant.
Mushroom had early success with Australian singer Peter Andre
Peter André
Peter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
, while retaining a diverse roster signing UK acts such as The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, and importing Australian acts such as Deni Hines
Deni Hines
Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines is a solo R&B artist who had chart success in the 1990s in Australia and New Zealand. She is the daughter of Marcia Hines....
, Christian Fry, Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
, Antenna, Sister2Sister
Sister2Sister
Sister2Sister are multi-platinum selling Australian singers, songwriters and television presenters, who are sisters.-Background:The Muscat sisters, Christine and Sharon , are the duo that make up Sister2Sister. Their career started young when they grew up in the Sydney suburb of St...
, VAST
VAST
VAST is an American industrial rock band based in Austin, Texas. The acronym VAST stands for Visual Audio Sensory Theater and is the main creation of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Crosby...
and Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
. Several acts were signed to Infectious Records, including Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
, Symposium
Symposium (band)
Symposium were a punk pop band from England. They were active from 1994–2000 and were known for their live shows. The name 'Symposium' originally referred to a drinking party , and was taken from the book by Plato...
, My Vitriol
My Vitriol
My Vitriol are an alternative rock band from London, England. The band name, which is often misinterpreted, is taken from the novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene...
, Cable
Cable (British band)
Cable were a British alternative rock band, formed in the early 1990s by Matt Bagguley , Darius Hinks , Suza Ward , Pete Darrington and Martin Syvret , followed by Neil Cooper, formerly of The Beyond . Cooper left in 1995 to form Gorilla with other ex-members of The Beyond, and was replaced by...
, Seafood
Seafood (band)
Seafood were a UK band formed in London around 1996.The line-up included chief songwriter David Line , Caroline Banks and Kevin Penney who joined the band following the departure of founder-member Charles MacLeod...
, Elevator Suite
Elevator Suite
Elevator Suite is a three piece electronic pop group. They were formed in January 1999 by the English DJ Andy Childs, his friend DJ Paul "Robbo" Roberts, and Steve Grainger, who was working as a record producer of a small recording studio in Totnes, Devon....
and Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
, while Mushroom licensed local signing Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
from Taste Media
Taste Media
Taste Media is a record label and production company that has released records for bands such as Muse and Shed Seven. The company was formed by Safta Jaffery and Dennis Smith, who owned the Sawmills recording studio in Cornwall.-History:Taste Media recorded three of Muse's albums, Showbiz, Origin...
. Sub labels Perfecto had successes with Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
and off-shoot label 48K artist Timo Maas
Timo Maas
Timo Maas is an electronic music DJ/producer and remixer.-Career:Maas bought his first set of turntables at the age of 17, and played his very first DJ set in 1982 at a party in his friend's home...
; sister label Ultimate Dilemma also had Zero 7
Zero 7
Zero 7 is a British musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. The group members began their musical careers as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, Simple Things was released in 2001 and received critical acclaim...
, Magnet
Magnet (musician)
Magnet is the pseudonym of Norwegian singer-songwriter Even Johansen . To date, he has released four full-length studio albums as well as several singles and EPs. Johansen draws upon many influences, including folk, pop, and electronica...
and Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
on its books. In 1999, Mushroom Records UK was one of only two labels who wanted to sign singer Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
(ultimately she chose to sign to Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
).
With these acts charting highly brought Mushroom to the front stage of music in the UK, with an initial £5,000 turnover
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
increasing to £23m over its 10 years, however Marshall began to extricate Mushroom UK from the Mushroom family during 2001, after the parent company had been sold in 1999 to Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's Newscorp, and merged with his Festival Records to form Festival Mushroom Records. Mushroom Records UK was slowly wound down as negotiations crystallised; its last release was the Garbage single "Shut Your Mouth
Shut Your Mouth (Garbage song)
"Shut Your Mouth" is a 2001 alternative rock song by Garbage, written and recorded for their third studio album Beautiful Garbage. "Shut Your Mouth" was the album opener; it was also released as its fourth and final single....
" in September 2002.
Mushroom Records UK Discography
Albums| Year | Artist | Release |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Garbage | Garbage Garbage (album) Garbage is the debut album by Scottish/American alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in the late summer and autumn of 1995 worldwide, following critical acclaim and promising chart positions for their debut single "Vow", which entered the Billboard Hot 100.Garbage eventually spent over a... |
| 1996 | Peter Andre | Natural Natural (Peter Andre album) Natural is the second album released by Australian singer-songwriter Peter Andre.-Background:Following the success of his first album, Andre was commissioned to record a second album with Melodian. However, Melodian believed that after the success received in Australia for his first album, that it... |
| 1997 | The Wildhearts | Endless, Nameless |
| Ween | The Mollusk The Mollusk * "She Wanted to Leave / " contains the main song, "She Wanted to Leave", as well as a reprise of "I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight".- Personnel :* Dean Ween - Guitar, Vocals, Engineer* Gene Ween - Vocals, Engineer* Kirk Miller - Sound Effects... |
|
| Archie Roach | Looking For Butter Boy | |
| Peter Andre | Time Time (Peter Andre album) Time is the third album released by Australian singer-songwriter Peter Andre.-Background:Following the success of his previous album, Mushroom Records offered Andre an extended record deal, allowing him to record another album on the label... |
|
| 1998 | Leonardo's Bride | Angel Blood |
| Garbage | Version 2.0 Version 2.0 Version 2.0 is the second album by alternative rock group Garbage. It was released worldwide in May 1998 by Mushroom Records UK and in North America by Almo Sounds. Version 2.0 was the follow-up to the band's multi-platinum debut album Garbage. Despite a slow start, Version 2.0 went on to equal its... |
|
| VAST | Visual Audio Sensory Theater Visual Audio Sensory Theater Visual Audio Sensory Theater is the debut album by the band VAST, released on April 28, 1998 by Elektra Records. The album mixed samples of Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maur and Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares, with an 18-piece orchestra, guitars and electronics.Jon Crosby originally... |
|
| Antenna | Installation | |
| 1999 | Ween | Paintin' The Town Brown |
| Muse | Showbiz | |
| 2000 | Wilt | Bastinado |
| Ween | White Pepper White Pepper -Singles:* "Even If You Don't" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with the B-side "Cornbread Red".* "Stay Forever" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with "The Grobe" and "Who Dat?"-Musicians featured on the record:* Dean Ween* Gene Ween... |
|
| VAST | Music for People Music for People Music for People is the second album by the band VAST, released on September 12, 2000 by Elektra Records. It would be VAST's last album on Elektra Records. After the success of VAST's debut album, Music for People could only produce one successful single, "Free", which charted highly and gained... |
|
| 2001 | Muse | Origin of Symmetry Origin of Symmetry Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released on 17 July 2001 by Taste Records. In the UK it reached #3 and was certified platinum. The title for the album comes from a concept put forward by Michio Kaku in his book Hyperspace.On Origin of Symmetry,... |
| Garbage | Beautiful Garbage | |
| 2002 | Muse | Hullabaloo Soundtrack Hullabaloo Soundtrack Notes*A sample of Tom Waits's "What's He Building?" can be heard in disc two's pregap *The Intro of Rachmaninov's 'Prelude in C Sharp Minor "The Bells of Moscow"' is played at the beginning of Track 7 Disc 2.-Japanese release track listing:... |
A&E Records
A&E Records was formalised on 19 May 2003, with all of Mushroom and Infectious' artist roster transferring over to the East West imprint, including its new signings The Darkness, Funeral for a FriendFuneral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
and Freeform Five
Freeform Five
Freeform Five is London based DJ, producer, songwriter Anu Pillai. It was his remix of Isolee’s “Beau Mot Plage” in 1999 that alerted many to this production outfit....
, while Korda Marshall took up the position of managing director with the label. WMG completed its acquisition of Mushroom Records UK for around $15m (£9.2m) and East West absorbed the functions of Mushroom, which was closed the week prior. East West immediately re-issued its new artists back catalogue albums through A&E Records and Warner Strategic Marketing
Warner Strategic Marketing
Warner Strategic Marketing is a record label that is part of the Warner Music Group. It specializes in compilation albums, much like sister division Rhino Entertainment. However, unlike Rhino, it does not reissue classic albums in the WMG catalogue...
distribution.
The following year, from 25 June 2004, East West was subject to the rebranding
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
as one of WMG's two frontline UK labels, changing to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
(the other label WEA London becoming Warner Bros). On 14 November of that year, Marshall became managing director of Warner Bros. A&E Records was realigned, and transferred across the company to Warner Bros. The Infectious brand name and logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
also transferred from Atlantic, along with Ash, Garbage and Muse.
A&E Records has continued to release records by Garbage, Timo Maas and Peter Andre, and to release Muse records through sub-label Helium 3. The role of Infectious within Warner Bros has been decreased and not including Ash releases, is being used for launching newly signed acts such as The Subways
The Subways
The Subways are an English alternative rock / indie rock band. Their debut album, Young For Eternity, was released on 4 July 2005 in the UK and February 14, 2006 in the U.S. Their second album, All or Nothing, was released on 30 June 2008 and their third album Money and Celebrity debuted on the...
and Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love were an English four piece indie rock band from London.Consisting of Edward Larrikin , Micko Larkin , Alfie Ambrose and Coz Kerrigan , and also occasionally including violinist Rob Skipper from The Holloways or roving violinist Jonnie Fielding, the band were briefly described as...
. Former parent Festival Mushroom Records was acquired by WMG on 21 October 2005 and its labels and artists absorbed into Warner Music Australia, however none of those artists have been transferred to A&E Records.
A&E Records Discography
Albums| Year | Artist | Release |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Muse | Absolution |
| Paul Oakenfold | Perfecto Presents... Great Wall | |
| 2005 | Garbage | Bleed Like Me Bleed Like Me Bleed Like Me is the fourth studio album recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in April 2005 by Warner Bros... |
| Timo Maas | Pictures Pictures (Timo Maas album) Pictures is an album by Timo Maas released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Slip in Electro Kid" – 3:13#"Pictures " – 5:11#"First Day " – 3:52#"High Drama " – 7:21#"Enter My World" – 6:35... |
|
| 2006 | Muse | Black Holes & Revelations |
| 2007 | Garbage | Absolute Garbage Absolute Garbage Absolute Garbage is the 2007 greatest hits album released by alternative rock group Garbage. The album was compiled and released by Geffen imprint Almo Sounds through Universal Music Enterprises backcatalogue division in North America and Warner Music's record label A&E Records throughout the rest... |
| 2008 | Muse | HAARP |
| 2009 | Muse | The Resistance The Resistance (album) The Resistance is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in Europe on 14 September 2009, and in North America on 15 September 2009.... |
External links
- WMG.com – Warner Music Group official site