Gwarn Music is an independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 which was created in Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1991

1991 in music

See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...

. It was founded by former 52nd Street

52nd Street (band)

52nd Street were a British jazz-funk and R&B band formed in Manchester in late 1980, around the period in which both punk/new wave and jazz-funk rocked the club scene. Throughout the 1980s the group enjoyed success not only in the UK but also on the Billboard chart in the United States...

 guitarist Tony Henry

Tony Henry

Anthony Henry is a retired footballer who played in The Football League for Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Oldham Athletic, Shrewsbury Town and Stoke City.-References:...

 to release his then new music project FR’ Mystery (lead vocalist Lorna Bailey) after talks to sign the act to WEA

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...

 in London broke down. The label was initially independently distributed by local city record shop Manchester Underground, before New Order

New Order

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...

 manager Rob Gretton

Rob Gretton

Rob Gretton was the manager of Joy Division and New Order. He was also a partner in Factory Records, proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along with Tony Wilson of The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, England. In 1977, Gretton became a leading figure in the Manchester punk...

 invited Henry to bring the label under the wing of his then new imprint Rob’s Records in late 1994. This was the second time in ten years that Henry and Gretton had worked together. Gretton was 52nd Street’s A&R Manager at Factory Records

Factory Records

Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...

.

Gwarn Music is now the sole owner of all 52nd Street's master copyrights released through Factory, A&M

A&M Records

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

 (US) and 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...

(US) in the 1980s.