NPG Records
Encyclopedia
NPG Records is the current active record label
owned by Prince
, founded in 1993
to release his music after Paisley Park Records
. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records
in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience
. "NPG" is short for "New Power Generation", also the name of his backing band. Though the 1994 compilation 1-800-NEW-FUNK
featured several artists, NPG Records never developed into a full label like Paisley Park did: instead, it exclusively released Prince's albums or side-projects.
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,...
owned by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, founded in 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
to release his music after Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
. "NPG" is short for "New Power Generation", also the name of his backing band. Though the 1994 compilation 1-800-NEW-FUNK
1-800-NEW-FUNK
1-800-NEW-FUNK is a compilation album by Prince's NPG Records meant to showcase artists signed to the label. It was released on July 20, 1994...
featured several artists, NPG Records never developed into a full label like Paisley Park did: instead, it exclusively released Prince's albums or side-projects.
Prince releases
- 1993: The Beautiful ExperienceThe Beautiful Experience- Promo :- Singles and Hot 100 chart placings :* "Staxowax"# "Staxowax" – 4:59# "Sexy Staxophone and Guitar" – 3:36* "Mustang Mix"# "Mustang Mix" – 6:19# "Mustang Instrumental" – 3:23- Chart performance :...
(EP) (distributed by Bellmark/Life Records through Bellmark RecordsBellmark RecordsBellmark Records is a small U.S. independent record label, based on the west coast and is distributed by the independent DM Records Group. It was formed in the late 1980s by Al Bell, who was one of the driving forces behind the legendary Stax Records....
) - 1995: The Gold ExperienceThe Gold ExperienceThe Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
(distributed by Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
) - 1996: EmancipationEmancipation (album)Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
(distributed by EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) - 1998: Crystal BallCrystal Ball (album set)Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
- 1998: The Truth
- 1998: Kamasutra (credited as The NPG Orchestra)
- 1999: 1999: The New Master1999: The New Master-External links:* at The Free Library...
(EP) (credited as Prince and The RevolutionThe Revolution (band)The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
) - 1999: Rave Un2 the Joy FantasticRave Un2 the Joy FantasticRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by Prince . Featuring a radio-friendly sound, the album was conceived as a return to commercial success after several years without significant public attention...
(distributed by Arista RecordsArista RecordsArista 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...
) - 2000: Rave In2 the Joy FantasticRave In2 the Joy FantasticRave In2 the Joy Fantastic is a remix album by Prince , released via mail exclusively through the NPG Music Club, an Internet subscription service, on April 29, 2001. The album is an alternative version of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, released the previous year.The album makes a number of...
- 2001: The Rainbow ChildrenThe Rainbow ChildrenThe Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year...
- 2002: One Nite Alone... Live!One Nite Alone... Live!One Nite Alone... Live! is a live album box set by Prince and The New Power Generation, containing live recordings from the intimate One Nite Alone... Tour performances...
- 2003: N.E.W.SN.E.W.SN.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album by Prince, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially...
(distributed by Big Daddy Music Distribution) - 2004: MusicologyMusicology (album)Musicology is the thirtieth studio album by Prince, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries....
(distributed by Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - 2006: 31213121 (album)3121 is the thirty-first studio album by Prince. The album, released March 21, 2006 in the U.S., is distributed through Universal Records.-Album information:...
(distributed by Universal RecordsUniversal RecordsUniversal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
) - 2007: Planet EarthPlanet Earth (album)Planet Earth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince, first released July 15, 2007 in the UK as a free covermount with The Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution...
(distributed by Columbia Records) - 2009: LOtUSFLOW3R / MPLSoUNDLotusflower (album)Lotusflow3r is the twenty-sixth studio album by American musician Prince, released March 24, 2009 on NPG Records. A triple album set, it contains two Prince albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSºUND, as well as Elixer, the debut album of Prince protegée Bria Valente...
- 2010: 20Ten20Ten20Ten is the thirty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince. It was released on July 10, 2010 by NPG Records as a free covermount with the Daily Mirror and Daily Record in the UK and Ireland, and Het Nieuwsblad and De Gentenaar in Belgium. It was also released on July 22, 2010 with Rolling...
Other artists
- 1993: The New Power Generation: GoldniggaGoldniggaGoldnigga is the 1993 debut album by The New Power Generation . It was only made available for sale at some concert venue merchandise stalls on tour in 1993, through Prince's 1-800-NEW-FUNK telephone retail outlet, and at Paisley Park during the 2001 Celebration...
- 1994: Various Artists: 1-800-NEW-FUNK1-800-NEW-FUNK1-800-NEW-FUNK is a compilation album by Prince's NPG Records meant to showcase artists signed to the label. It was released on July 20, 1994...
(distributed by Bellmark/Life Records through Bellmark Records) - 1995: The New Power Generation: ExodusExodus (New Power Generation album)Exodus is a 1995 album by The New Power Generation. While their previous album, Goldnigga was more hip-hop oriented, Exodus is more of a pure funk offering, strongly influenced by the sound of Parliament and P-Funk. Although the tracklist boasts 21 tracks, many of them are narrative segues,...
- 1995: Mayte: Child of the SunChild of the Sun (album)Child of the Sun is a pop/rock album by Mayte Garcia, released in 1995. It was produced by Prince when they were married, and released by NPG Records. The album was not very critically or commercially successful....
- 1998: Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
: Come 2 My HouseCome 2 My HouseCome 2 My House is the ninth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan released on the NPG Records label in 1998.Come 2 My House was Khan's first full-length album since 1992's The Woman I Am, due to the Warner Bros... - 1998: The New Power Generation: Newpower SoulNewpower SoulNewpower Soul is a 1998 album by The New Power Generation, but is de facto a Prince album . The album was announced as a "Prince"-album in a press release issued by his publicist, but mere days later his official website at the time claimed those were mere rumors.The album title has a long history...
(distributed by BMGBMGBertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
through RCA RecordsRCA RecordsRCA 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...
) - 1999: Graham Central StationGraham Central StationGraham Central Station is a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often incorrectly called Grand Central Station....
: GCS 2000GCS 2000GCS 2000 is a studio album by funk group Graham Central Station released on July 21, 1998, on NPG Records. It wastheir first new album in America since 1979's Star Walk.-Background:... - 2009: Bria ValenteBria ValenteBria Valente is an American singer. A protégée of Prince, Valente released her debut album, Elixer, as part of a three-album set with Prince's LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND on March 29, 2009. The collection debuted at #2 on the top Billboard albums chart.Valente was born and raised in Minneapolis,...
: Elixer (released as part of LOtUSFLOW3R, Prince's 3-disc set)