Arista Records
Encyclopedia
Arista was an American
record label
. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment
and operated under the RCA Music Group
. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis
, who formerly worked for CBS Records
(which would become Sony Music Entertainment). Until its demise in 2011, it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States
and United Kingdom
.
, Clive Davis
was hired by Columbia Pictures
to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. Assuming the presidency of this division in late 1974, Davis would fold the various Columbia legacy labels (Colpix Records
, Colgems Records
, and Bell Records
) into a new entity named Arista Records, ultimately buying a percentage of the company from Columbia Pictures. The label was named Arista after New York City's secondary school honor society (of which Davis was a member at Erasmus Hall High School
). In early 1975, most of the artists who had been signed to Bell were let go, except David Cassidy
(left for RCA Records
), Tony Orlando and Dawn
(left for Elektra Records
), and The 5th Dimension (departed for ABC Records
). Others, such as Suzi Quatro
and Hot Chocolate, were farmed out to the Bell/Arista-distributed label, Big Tree
. Several Bell acts, such as Barry Manilow
, the Bay City Rollers
, and Melissa Manchester
moved to Arista. The British Bell label kept that name for a couple of years before changing its name to Arista. The label was immortalized in the 1978 Rockpile
song "They Called It Rock," in the lyric, "Arista says they love you/But the kids can't dance to this."
Besides boasting such big name stars as Manilow and Dionne Warwick
; one of the pivotal moments in Arista's history was the signing of Aretha Franklin
in 1980
, after her long relationship with Atlantic Records
ended. The label's most significant acquisition, however, came in 1983
, when Davis signed Warwick's cousin (and Franklin's Goddaughter) Whitney Houston
. Houston would eventually become Arista's biggest selling recording artist, with sales of 55 million units in the U.S. alone—according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/freedom.htm and, until 1982, GRP Records
, which specialized in contemporary jazz and what came to be known as smooth jazz
. A country music division, Career Records, was merged into the Arista Nashville
division in 1997. Arista Austin was used in the late 1990s as a country label. Additionally, Arista was the North American distributor of Jive Records
from 1981 until 1987. During the 1990s, Arista also distributed the Logic, Rowdy
and Heavenly
labels.
in 1979. After Ariola purchased General Electric
's RCA Records
in 1986, the combined company was renamed Bertelsmann Music Group, though Arista's US releases would not note BMG until 1987.
Into the 1980s, Arista continued its success, including major UK act Secret Affair
. Over the years it acquired Northwestside Records, deConstruction Records
, First Avenue Records
, and Dedicated Records
in the UK. In 1989, Arista entered into a joint venture with Antonio "L.A." Reid and Babyface in the creation of LaFace Records
, which it fully acquired in 1999. In 1993, Arista also entered into a joint-venture with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs to form Bad Boy Records
. Arista acquired Profile Records
, the home of Run-D.M.C.
and Poor Righteous Teachers
, in 1997.
, consisting of Rob Pilatus
and Fabrice Morvan, and released its wildly successful multi-platinum debut album (which had been previously released in Europe the year before), Girl You Know It's True
, the same year in the U.S. and Canada. The album became a success, was certified sextuple platinum in the United States, and charted five top-ten singles, three of which peaked at number one. In 1990, the duo won two American Music Awards
and a Grammy Award
for Best New Artist. Despite their success, rumors began to surface about the duo, and were confirmed later that year, when Milli Vanilli's svengali producer and manager, Frank Farian
, publicly revealed that the two hadn't performed a single note on their album. Carol Decker, the lead singer of the short-lived group T'Pau
, in an interview after a performance on MTV
, said that the two were using a Synclavier
and not singing at all.
This revelation caused a firestorm in the music industry, as recording artists, particularly pop
acts that heavily relied on electronic processing and over-dubbing (what they referred to as "studio magic"), were now under scrutiny and subsequently forced to cut back on lip-synching to show that they were authentic. Milli Vanilli's Grammy Award was subsequently revoked. Clive Davis promptly released the duo from its contract and deleted the album and its masters from their catalogue—making Girl You Know It's True the largest-selling album to be deleted. A court ruling in the U.S. allowed anyone who had bought the album to get a partial refund.
In response to the scandal, Arista's position was that the company had been completely unaware of Morvan and Pilatus having not themselves recorded their album. In a post-debacle interview, Morvan defended himself by saying, "[Before Milli Vanilli] I was working at a McDonald's. What would you have done?"
and Pink
, as well as legacy acts like Outkast
and Usher
. Reid, however, seemed to lose focus when it came to promoting its established acts such Whitney Houston
and Toni Braxton
, both of whom had been the label's biggest sellers over the years. Reid's extravagant spending, meanwhile, caused the company to lose money. After the formation of the joint venture of BMG and Sony Music Entertainment
(the former CBS Records) in 2004, Reid was let go. Arista, always an independently managed label at BMG, was merged with J Records
in August 2005 and began operating under the newly formed RCA Music Group
—of which Davis had become CEO, and thus again became in control of Arista. The Arista label has continued to be used for new releases, while its reissues are released through Sony Music's Legacy Recordings
. Also, as a result of the Sony-BMG merger, Arista once again became related to Columbia Pictures
, which is fully owned by the Sony Corporation of America
(through Sony Pictures Entertainment
) - who would buy out BMG's share in 2008.
and J
. This was confirmed on October 7, 2011http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rca-records-peter-edge-tom-245241. RCA Records
will now start releasing all RCA Music Group releases under RCA Records. Arista Nashville
will continue to operate under Sony Music Nashville
and will not be affected by the closing of Arista Records.
artists. In 1995, Arista Nashville launched a subsidiary label known as Career Records, the roster of which at the time included Brett James
, Tammy Graham
, and Lee Roy Parnell
. Currently, Arista Nashville falls under the wing of Sony Music Nashville, hosting such artists as Carrie Underwood
, Kix Brooks
, Brad Paisley
, Ronnie Dunn
and Jerrod Niemann
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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,...
. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
and operated under the RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009 and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 until all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA Records....
. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, who formerly worked for CBS Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
(which would become Sony Music Entertainment). Until its demise in 2011, it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and United Kingdom
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...
.
Background
After being fired from CBS RecordsSony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
was hired by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. Assuming the presidency of this division in late 1974, Davis would fold the various Columbia legacy labels (Colpix Records
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...
, Colgems Records
Colgems Records
Colgems Records was a record label which existed from 1966 to 1971. It was a joint venture between Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures, and RCA Records, to issue records by The Monkees and other artists affiliated with Screen Gems. The label would also issue soundtrack...
, and Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
) into a new entity named Arista Records, ultimately buying a percentage of the company from Columbia Pictures. The label was named Arista after New York City's secondary school honor society (of which Davis was a member at Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
). In early 1975, most of the artists who had been signed to Bell were let go, except David Cassidy
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
(left for RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
), Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...
(left for Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
), and The 5th Dimension (departed for ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
). Others, such as Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
and Hot Chocolate, were farmed out to the Bell/Arista-distributed label, Big Tree
Big Tree
* Big Tree may refer to:* Big Tree, the tallest tree known to the public in northern California's Redwoods* The Senator, the oldest pond cypress tree in the United States...
. Several Bell acts, such as Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, the Bay City Rollers
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
, and Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
moved to Arista. The British Bell label kept that name for a couple of years before changing its name to Arista. The label was immortalized in the 1978 Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
song "They Called It Rock," in the lyric, "Arista says they love you/But the kids can't dance to this."
Besides boasting such big name stars as Manilow and Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
; one of the pivotal moments in Arista's history was the signing of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
, after her long relationship with 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...
ended. The label's most significant acquisition, however, came in 1983
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
, when Davis signed Warwick's cousin (and Franklin's Goddaughter) Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
. Houston would eventually become Arista's biggest selling recording artist, with sales of 55 million units in the U.S. alone—according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Subsidiary imprint labels
Arista had an imprint label in the 1970s called Arista Novus, which focused on contemporary jazz artists. It distributed two other jazz labels, "Arista Freedom," which specialized in avant-garde jazzAvant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/freedom.htm and, until 1982, GRP Records
GRP Records
GRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
, which specialized in contemporary jazz and what came to be known as smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
. A country music division, Career Records, was merged into the Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
division in 1997. Arista Austin was used in the late 1990s as a country label. Additionally, Arista was the North American distributor of Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
from 1981 until 1987. During the 1990s, Arista also distributed the Logic, Rowdy
Rowdy Records
Rowdy Records is a record label, distributed through Motown Records.-History:Formed in 1992 by producers Dallas Austin and L.A. Reid, Rowdy was initially distributed through Arista Records. At the time, Austin had gained notoriety for writing and producing hits for acts like Monica, Another Bad...
and Heavenly
Heavenly Records
Heavenly Records, aka Heavenly Recordings, is a London-based record label, distributed by EMI. Founded by Jeff Barrett, a former press officer for Creation Records and many successful indie bands of the time including Happy Mondays, Heavenly Recordings' first releases were 7" and 12" singles for...
labels.
Acquisitions, sell-offs
Looking to stave off bankruptcy, Columbia Pictures sold Arista to German-based Ariola RecordsAriola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
in 1979. After Ariola purchased General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in 1986, the combined company was renamed Bertelsmann Music Group, though Arista's US releases would not note BMG until 1987.
Into the 1980s, Arista continued its success, including major UK act Secret Affair
Secret Affair
Secret Affair were a mod revival band, formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1982. They reformed to perform and record in the 2000s.-Career:In a period of a little over two years, Secret Affair posted five releases in the UK Singles Chart and released three albums...
. Over the years it acquired Northwestside Records, deConstruction Records
Deconstruction Records
Deconstruction Records is a record label founded in 1987 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst in the United Kingdom. Distribution was via label deals with Parlophone Records, for acts such as K-Klass and Bassheads), and RCA Records for everybody else....
, First Avenue Records
First Avenue Records
First Avenue Records was a record label which was acquired by Arista Records....
, and Dedicated Records
Dedicated Records
Dedicated Records was a British independent record label in the 1990s. It was founded by Doug D'Arcy after leaving Chrysalis Records where he had been Managing Director, later President and director of the Chrysalis group...
in the UK. In 1989, Arista entered into a joint venture with Antonio "L.A." Reid and Babyface in the creation of LaFace Records
LaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
, which it fully acquired in 1999. In 1993, Arista also entered into a joint-venture with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs to form Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
. Arista acquired Profile Records
Profile Records
Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996..- History :In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be...
, the home of Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
and Poor Righteous Teachers
Poor Righteous Teachers
Poor Righteous Teachers is a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers are known as pro-Black conscious hip hop artists, with musical content inspired by the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths. Wise Intelligent, as...
, in 1997.
Milli Vanilli scandal
In 1989, Arista signed a German-based duo named Milli VanilliMilli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
, consisting of Rob Pilatus
Rob Pilatus
Robert "Rob" Pilatus was a German-American model, dancer and singer. Pilatus was best known as half of the pop music duo Milli Vanilli.-Early life:...
and Fabrice Morvan, and released its wildly successful multi-platinum debut album (which had been previously released in Europe the year before), Girl You Know It's True
Girl You Know It's True
Girl You Know It's True is a 1989 album that was the U.S. debut of pop group Milli Vanilli.In 1989, the majority of songs from Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release All or Nothing were repackaged and retitled Girl You Know It's True...
, the same year in the U.S. and Canada. The album became a success, was certified sextuple platinum in the United States, and charted five top-ten singles, three of which peaked at number one. In 1990, the duo won two American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
and a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best New Artist. Despite their success, rumors began to surface about the duo, and were confirmed later that year, when Milli Vanilli's svengali producer and manager, Frank Farian
Frank Farian
Frank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
, publicly revealed that the two hadn't performed a single note on their album. Carol Decker, the lead singer of the short-lived group T'Pau
T'Pau (band)
T'Pau was a 1980s British Rock group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK, and several hits in the United States and Europe...
, in an interview after a performance on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, said that the two were using a Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
and not singing at all.
This revelation caused a firestorm in the music industry, as recording artists, particularly pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
acts that heavily relied on electronic processing and over-dubbing (what they referred to as "studio magic"), were now under scrutiny and subsequently forced to cut back on lip-synching to show that they were authentic. Milli Vanilli's Grammy Award was subsequently revoked. Clive Davis promptly released the duo from its contract and deleted the album and its masters from their catalogue—making Girl You Know It's True the largest-selling album to be deleted. A court ruling in the U.S. allowed anyone who had bought the album to get a partial refund.
In response to the scandal, Arista's position was that the company had been completely unaware of Morvan and Pilatus having not themselves recorded their album. In a post-debacle interview, Morvan defended himself by saying, "[Before Milli Vanilli] I was working at a McDonald's. What would you have done?"
Reconstructing Arista
At the end of 2000, following its 25th anniversary, BMG pushed Davis out as label head and promoted L.A. Reid as its new President and CEO. Under Reid, the label had success with newer acts such as Avril LavigneAvril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
and Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, as well as legacy acts like Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
and Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
. Reid, however, seemed to lose focus when it came to promoting its established acts such Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
and Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, both of whom had been the label's biggest sellers over the years. Reid's extravagant spending, meanwhile, caused the company to lose money. After the formation of the joint venture of BMG and Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
(the former CBS Records) in 2004, Reid was let go. Arista, always an independently managed label at BMG, was merged with J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
in August 2005 and began operating under the newly formed RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009 and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 until all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA Records....
—of which Davis had become CEO, and thus again became in control of Arista. The Arista label has continued to be used for new releases, while its reissues are released through Sony Music's Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
. Also, as a result of the Sony-BMG merger, Arista once again became related to Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, which is fully owned by the Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America , based in New York, is the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. It is the umbrella company under which all Sony companies operate in the United States....
(through Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
) - who would buy out BMG's share in 2008.
Dissolution
During the summer of 2011, the RCA Music Group underwent a restructuring which saw the elimination of the Arista name later on that year, along with sister labels JiveJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
and J
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
. This was confirmed on October 7, 2011http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rca-records-peter-edge-tom-245241. RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
will now start releasing all RCA Music Group releases under RCA Records. Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
will continue to operate under Sony Music Nashville
Sony Music Nashville
Sony Music Nashville is the country music branch of Sony Music Entertainment based in Nashville, Tennessee. It comprises of RCA Records Nashville, Columbia Records Nashville, Arista Nashville and BNA Records...
and will not be affected by the closing of Arista Records.
Arista Nashville
In 1989, Arista Records launched Arista Nashville, which specializes in country-musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artists. In 1995, Arista Nashville launched a subsidiary label known as Career Records, the roster of which at the time included Brett James
Brett James
Brett James Cornelius is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Signed to Career Records as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year...
, Tammy Graham
Tammy Graham
-Track listing:#"I Stopped Looking" – 3:07#"Tell Me Again" – 3:23#"When the Blues and My Baby Collide" – 3:17#"More About Love" – 3:28...
, and Lee Roy Parnell
Lee Roy Parnell
Lee Roy Parnell is an American country music artist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
. Currently, Arista Nashville falls under the wing of Sony Music Nashville, hosting such artists as Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, Kix Brooks
Kix Brooks
Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:...
, Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, Ronnie Dunn
Ronnie Dunn
Ronnie Gene Dunn is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn. In 2011, Dunn began working as a solo artist following the breakup of Brooks & Dunn...
and Jerrod Niemann
Jerrod Niemann
Jerrod Lee Niemann is an American country music artist. Active since 2001, he has recorded two independent albums. In 2006, he signed to Category 5 Records and charted with the single "I Love Women "...
.