| 1 | [[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgin_records_roger_dean_logo_cropped.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:240:The original Virgin logo (1972-77), designed by Roger Dean.]] |
| 3 | [[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgin_records.jpg]] |
| 4 | [[caption-width-right:240:The second Virgin logo (1977-2013; 2020-present), known as "the scrawl".]] |
| 5 | [[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virginemi.jpg]] |
| 6 | [[caption-width-right:240:The Virgin EMI Records logo (2013-2020).]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Virgin Records is a British record label with a long, colorful history and one of the most diverse catalogues in the music industry. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Virgin had humble origins; it was founded by counterculture entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972, as an extension of a record store they already owned. Its first release, Music/MikeOldfield's ''Music/TubularBells'', was an album consisting of one track: an eerie, [[EpicRocking 48-minute]] instrumental (mostly) that hardly seemed like chart-topping material at first. However, when excerpts from the album were featured on the soundtrack of ''Film/TheExorcist'', it became a critically acclaimed smash. Virgin soon established itself as a home for adventurous ProgressiveRock and {{Krautrock}} performers such as Music/TangerineDream, Kevin Coyne, Hatfield and the North, Faust, Music/HenryCow, Music/SlappHappy and Music/{{Gong}}. Virgin also operated a sister label, Caroline Records, for less commercial releases, similar to the relationship between Creator/AtlanticRecords and Creator/AtcoRecords or Creator/WarnerBrosRecords and Creator/RepriseRecords. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Virgin changed its "hippie" image in 1977 by taking on the Music/SexPistols, who had already burned their bridges at Creator/{{EMI}} and [[Creator/AAndMRecords A&M]]. The Pistols and their spinoffs (most notably Music/PublicImageLtd) wound up staying with the label, and Virgin then signed many PostPunk and NewWaveMusic acts such as Music/{{XTC}}, Music/{{Magazine}}, Music/{{Devo}}, Music/TheHumanLeague, Penetration, The Records, Fingerprintz, The Ruts, The Members, and The Motors. It also dabbled in {{Reggae}}, eventually devoting a subsidiary label called Front Line to Jamaican music. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | During TheEighties, the company began signing more pop-oriented acts such as Music/CultureClub and Cutting Crew. By the beginning of TheNineties, Virgin had transformed into a mainstream label, spending huge amounts of money to sign Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} and Music/JanetJackson. Subsidiary labels were established in other countries, including the United States and Canada (previously, North American distribution of Virgin acts was negotiated with a variety of labels, as well as an American arm distributed by Creator/AtlanticRecords). Two sublabels devoted to ClassicalMusic, Virgin Classics and Virgin Veritas, began operations. In the midst of all this, Branson was able to further his Virgin brand into a successful international business whose assets have included Creator/VirginMediaTelevision, an airline, a winery, and a mobile phone company, among many other products and services. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | In 1992, the label was purchased by [[Creator/{{EMI}} Thorn EMI]]. Around the TurnOfTheMillennium, the company experimented with a CountryMusic division, Virgin Records Nashville; it didn't last long, and its roster was either transferred to Creator/CapitolRecords or dropped. Capitol returned to the Virgin story in 2007, when the two labels merged to form the Capitol Music Group. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | In 2013, after EMI's demise, ownership of Virgin Records passed to Creator/UniversalMusicGroup, which merged it with Creator/MercuryRecords' UK branch to form Virgin EMI Records, with a roster consisting primarily of British/European artists. On June 16, 2020, Virgin EMI Records was renamed EMI Records, reviving the EMI brand; Virgin itself returned to being an EMI imprint. In 2021, after Universal acquired Ingrooves and merged its indie distribution arm Creator/{{Fontana|Records}} (which had been divested as part of Universal’s EMI acquisition) into Caroline Distribution (itself inherited from Virgin), Universal renamed Caroline as Virgin Music & Artist Services, keeping the Virgin name alive. Outside of this, Universal still keeps active Virgin branches in some countries, most notably Germany and Japan. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Virgin had a song publisher, which EMI sold to BMG Rights Management in 2013. |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | !!Original Virgin Records artists |
| 23 | [[index]] |
| 24 | * Music/ThirtySecondsToMars |
| 25 | * Music/{{Aaliyah}} |
| 26 | * Music/PaulaAbdul |
| 27 | * Music/{{Air|Band}} |
| 28 | * Music/AliceInChains |
| 29 | * Music/AndOne |
| 30 | * Music/AtomicKitten |
| 31 | * Music/TonyBanks |
| 32 | * Music/{{Bastille}} |
| 33 | * Music/TheBirthdayParty (Australia only) |
| 34 | * Music/BlackRebelMotorcycleClub |
| 35 | * Music/BlueManGroup |
| 36 | * Music/TheBlueNile[[note]]Handled worldwide distribution of their output with Linn Records, the small recording arm of Scottish audio equipment manufacturer Linn Products. Virgin would take full ownership of these recordings shortly before The Blue Nile jumped ship to Warner Bros.[[/note]] |
| 37 | * Music/DavidBowie[[note]]Handled American distribution of his 1993-1998 output (with the exception of ''Music/BlackTieWhiteNoise'', which was released through Savage Records in the US) and the 1999 remasters of his 1969-1989 albums prior to Creator/{{EMI}}'s folding in 2012; ''[[Music/HoursDavidBowieAlbum 'hours...']]'' in 1999 was also released exclusively through Virgin.[[/note]] |
| 38 | * Music/DavidByrne[[note]]Released the soundtrack to ''Film/TheLastEmperor'' in 1987; later worked in partnership with Luaka Bop for ''Music/LookIntoTheEyeball''.[[/note]] |
| 39 | * Music/CamperVanBeethoven |
| 40 | * Music/{{Can}} |
| 41 | * Music/CaptainBeefheart |
| 42 | * Music/BelindaCarlisle (outside North America) |
| 43 | * Music/TheCatEmpire |
| 44 | * Music/TheChemicalBrothers |
| 45 | * Music/PhilCollins (UK and Ireland only) |
| 46 | * Music/CultureClub |
| 47 | * Music/DaftPunk (distribution only; through EMI France[[note]]Rights transferred to Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}} France after EMI's closure[[/note]]) |
| 48 | * Music/{{Dark City|Band}} |
| 49 | * Music/{{Devo}} (Europe only) |
| 50 | ** ''Music/QAreWeNotMenAWeAreDevo'' |
| 51 | ** ''Music/FreedomOfChoice'' |
| 52 | * Music/ThomasDolby |
| 53 | * Music/{{Eurythmics}} |
| 54 | * Music/{{Evanescence}} |
| 55 | * Music/EllaEyre |
| 56 | * Music/FictionFactory |
| 57 | * [[Creator/AlisonSudol A Fine Frenzy]] |
| 58 | * Music/{{Fishmans}}[[note]]One of the few signings to Virgin’s Japanese division run under the Creator/PonyCanyon umbrella at the time, as part of Pony Canyon’s parent company Fujisankei Communications having a large equity stake in Virgin proper. Their Virgin catalog is currently held by Pony Canyon sublabel Media Remoras.[[/note]] |
| 59 | * Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine |
| 60 | * Music/{{Fluke|Band}} (through Circa Records) |
| 61 | * Music/{{Genesis|Band}} (outside North America) |
| 62 | * Music/{{Gong}} |
| 63 | * Music/{{Gorillaz}} (US only; licensed from sister label Creator/ParlophoneRecords[[note]]US distribution shifted to Creator/WarnerBrosRecords after EMI's closure[[/note]]) |
| 64 | * Music/DavidGuetta (distribution only; through EMI France[[note]]Contract transferred to Creator/ParlophoneRecords France after EMI's closure[[/note]]) |
| 65 | * Music/FrancoiseHardy |
| 66 | * Music/{{Heaven 17}} |
| 67 | * Music/HenryCow |
| 68 | ** ''Music/InPraiseOfLearning'' (With Slapp Happy) |
| 69 | * Music/TheHumanLeague |
| 70 | * Music/JanetJackson |
| 71 | * Music/JoeJackson |
| 72 | * Music/{{Japan}} |
| 73 | * Music/KingCrimson (through EG Records and Discipline Global Mobile) |
| 74 | * Music/LennyKravitz |
| 75 | * Music/JohnLydon |
| 76 | * Music/KirstyMaccoll |
| 77 | * Music/{{Magazine}} |
| 78 | * Music/MassiveAttack |
| 79 | * Music/MeatLoaf |
| 80 | * Radio/RoyDMercer |
| 81 | * Music/GeorgeMichael (outside North America) |
| 82 | * Music/MikeOldfield |
| 83 | * Music/RoyOrbison |
| 84 | * Music/APerfectCircle |
| 85 | * Music/{{Placebo}} |
| 86 | * Music/IggyPop |
| 87 | * Music/EricPrydz |
| 88 | * Music/PublicImageLtd |
| 89 | * Music/TheRedJumpsuitApparatus |
| 90 | * Music/RiseAgainst |
| 91 | * Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} |
| 92 | * Music/RoxyMusic (through EG Records) |
| 93 | * Music/TheRutles |
| 94 | * Creator/KateySagal |
| 95 | * Music/RyuichiSakamoto[[note]]Through much of the 80's and early 90's.[[/note]] |
| 96 | * Music/{{Saxon}} |
| 97 | * Music/SexPistols (outside North America) |
| 98 | * Music/SimpleMinds |
| 99 | * Music/SlappHappy |
| 100 | ** ''Music/CasablancaMoon'' |
| 101 | ** ''Music/DesperateStraights'' (With Henry Cow) |
| 102 | * Music/TheSmashingPumpkins |
| 103 | * Music/TheSpecials |
| 104 | * Music/SpiceGirls |
| 105 | * Music/StiffLittleFingers |
| 106 | * Music/DavidSylvian |
| 107 | * Music/YukihiroTakahashi |
| 108 | * Music/TangerineDream |
| 109 | * Music/{{Timbaland}} |
| 110 | * Music/PeterTosh |
| 111 | * Music/{{Traffic|Band}} |
| 112 | * Music/{{Turbonegro}} |
| 113 | * Music/TinaTurner |
| 114 | * Music/{{UB40}} |
| 115 | * Music/HikaruUtada[[note]]Their first English language album (as Cubic U) was famously shelved by Virgin Records America, but they remained on the label’s division Eastworld in Japan, and released their Japanese-language recordings under Eastworld, then Virgin proper after a label reorganization from Universal’s EMI acquisition, until their hop to Epic in the late 2010s[[/note]] |
| 116 | * Music/TheVerve |
| 117 | * Music/SidVicious |
| 118 | * Music/ScottWalker |
| 119 | * Music/{{Sparks}} (Europe only)[[note]]''Music/No1InHeaven'' and ''Terminal Jive''[[/note]] |
| 120 | * Music/TheWallflowers |
| 121 | * Music/WendyAndLisa |
| 122 | * Music/TheWho[[note]]A 1979 reissue of ''My Generation'', licensed from producer Shel Talmy while he still held the rights[[/note]] |
| 123 | * Music/SteveWinwood |
| 124 | * Music/{{XTC}} |
| 125 | * Music/WarrenZevon |
| 126 | |
| 127 | !!Virgin EMI Records artists |
| 128 | |
| 129 | * Music/TwoChainz |
| 130 | * Music/{{ABC}} |
| 131 | * Music/RyanAdams |
| 132 | * Music/{{Alesso}} |
| 133 | * Music/{{Amorphis}} |
| 134 | * Music/AvengedSevenfold |
| 135 | * Music/{{Bastille}} |
| 136 | * Music/{{Beck|Musician}} |
| 137 | * Music/JustinBieber |
| 138 | * Music/BlackSabbath |
| 139 | * Music/JakeBugg |
| 140 | * Music/AlessiaCara |
| 141 | * Music/TheChemicalBrothers |
| 142 | * Music/{{CHVRCHES}} |
| 143 | ** 2013 - ''Music/TheBonesOfWhatYouBelieve'' |
| 144 | * Music/FallOutBoy |
| 145 | * Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine |
| 146 | * Music/GretaVanFleet |
| 147 | * Music/{{Halsey}} |
| 148 | * Music/IsaacHayes |
| 149 | * Music/HeyViolet |
| 150 | * Music/{{Incubus}} |
| 151 | * Music/EltonJohn |
| 152 | * Music/{{The Killers|Band}} |
| 153 | * Music/TheLibertines |
| 154 | * Music/{{Lorde}} |
| 155 | * Music/LeneMarlin |
| 156 | * Music/MassiveAttack |
| 157 | * Music/ShawnMendes |
| 158 | * Music/{{Mika}} |
| 159 | * Music/MikeOldfield |
| 160 | * Music/PearlJam |
| 161 | * Music/KatyPerry |
| 162 | * Music/ThePrettyReckless |
| 163 | * Music/{{Queen|Band}} (reissues of their original albums) |
| 164 | * Music/KeithRichards |
| 165 | * Music/RiseAgainst |
| 166 | * Music/EmeliSande |
| 167 | * Music/{{Squeeze|Band}} |
| 168 | * Music/TheStoneRoses |
| 169 | * Music/TaylorSwift |
| 170 | * Music/TrippieRedd |
| 171 | * Music/KTTunstall |
| 172 | * Music/ShaniaTwain |
| 173 | * Music/CarrieUnderwood |
| 174 | * Music/UrbanDanceSquad |
| 175 | * Music/TheVamps |
| 176 | * Music/{{Westlife}} |
| 177 | |
| 178 | !! Artists whose songwriting credits were with Virgin Music Publishing |
| 179 | |
| 180 | * Music/BulletForMyValentine |
| 181 | * Music/CannibalCorpse |
| 182 | * Music/CultureClub |
| 183 | * Music/{{Duffy}} |
| 184 | * Music/GooGooDolls |
| 185 | * Music/TheHumanLeague |
| 186 | * Music/{{Nirvana}} |
| 187 | * Music/OzzyOsbourne |
| 188 | * Music/PereUbu |
| 189 | * Music/IggyPop |
| 190 | * Music/TheProdigy |
| 191 | * Music/SiouxsieAndTheBanshees |
| 192 | * Music/{{Take That|Band}} |
| 193 | * Music/TearsForFears |
| 194 | * Music/{{Tool}} |
| 195 | * Music/{{Warrant}} |
| 196 | [[/index]] |
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