AH: Institutional context of the music industry

Who owns the record labels?

• Sony music entertainment – is owned by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan’s Sony Corporation.They have artists such as Big L, Britney Spears, Chris Brown and Dido to list a few.
• Warner Music Group – is a division of Warner Bros. Pictures as they had no division dedicated to music. They have artists such as Flo Rida, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day and many more.
• Universal Music Group - It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its leading market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of French media conglomerate Vivendi. Artists include ABBA, Blink182, Justin Bieber and Boyzone.

• Boy Better Know – is an independent UK record label specialising in grime music. It was founded by Jamie Adenuga (Also known as JME) in late 2005. The members of the label are: JME, Skepta, Jammer, Frisco, Shorty, Solo 45 and DJ Maximum.

What is involved in a record deal?

• Record deal (recording contact) - is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote.
• Artists under contract are normally only allowed to record for that label exclusively. Promotion is a key factor in the success of a record, and is largely the label's responsibility, as is proper distribution of records.