Elektra Records facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elektra Records |
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| Parent company | Warner Music Group |
| Founded | February 6, 1950 |
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| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
Elektra Records is a famous American record label that has been helping artists make music for over 70 years. It was started in 1950 by two college students, Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. The label is now owned by Warner Music Group.
Elektra played a huge part in making folk and rock music popular, especially from the 1950s to the 1970s. Over the years, it has gone through many changes. In 2018, it was relaunched as the Elektra Music Group. In 2022, it joined with another company to become part of a new group called 300 Elektra Entertainment.
Contents
History of Elektra Records
1950–1971: How It All Began
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Elektra Records was started in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt in their college dorm room. Each of them put in $300 to start the company. The name comes from a character in Greek mythology, Electra. Holzman changed the "C" to a "K" because he thought it looked stronger and had a "solid bite," like the name Kodak.
In the beginning, Elektra focused on folk music. It released albums by popular folk singers like Judy Collins and Theodore Bikel. The label also supported protest singers such as Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton. These were artists who wrote songs about important social and political issues.
During this time, some artists were unfairly prevented from working due to their political beliefs. This was known as the McCarthyite blacklist. Elektra helped one of these artists, Josh White, by giving him a record deal when no one else would.
A New Sound: Rock and Roll
By the mid-1960s, Elektra started signing rock bands. This was a big step for the label and helped it become very well-known. It signed some of the most important bands in American psychedelic rock, a style of music known for its dreamy and experimental sounds.
Some of Elektra's most famous signings from this time were:
- The Doors (from Los Angeles)
- Love (from Los Angeles)
- The Stooges (from Detroit)
- MC5 (from Detroit)
Music for the World and Space
In 1967, Elektra started the Nonesuch Explorer Series. This was one of the first collections of what we now call world music. It featured music from different cultures all around the globe.
Some of these recordings were so special that they were chosen for the Voyager Golden Record. These two records were sent into deep space in 1977 on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. They carry sounds and music from Earth, just in case they are ever found by intelligent life from other planets.
1971–1989: Joining with Asylum Records
In 1970, Elektra was bought by a larger company that would later become Warner Communications. Two years later, Elektra merged with another label, Asylum Records, which was founded by David Geffen. The new company was called Elektra/Asylum Records.
Even though the official name was Elektra/Asylum, most people just called it Elektra. Under new leaders, the label continued to find great new talent. An important person at the label, George Daly, signed the band The Cars. This signing helped lead Elektra into the new wave music scene of the late 1970s and 1980s.
In 1983, Bob Krasnow became the president of Elektra. Under his leadership, the label had some of its most successful years.
1989–2004: The Elektra Entertainment Group
In 1989, the label officially changed its name to Elektra Entertainment. During this time, Elektra was home to a wide variety of amazing artists. The list included rock bands like Metallica and Mötley Crüe, folk singers like Tracy Chapman, and alternative groups like The Cure and They Might Be Giants.
The Metallica Lawsuit
In 1994, the famous heavy metal band Metallica sued Elektra. They wanted to end their contract and own their original music recordings. The band argued that under California law, a contract couldn't last longer than seven years, and they had been with Elektra for over ten years.
At the time, their contract gave them a low percentage of the money from their album sales. Elektra fought back, but eventually, they reached a settlement. The details were kept secret, but it was reported that Metallica got a much better deal and a higher percentage of their sales.
By the late 1990s, the label wasn't doing as well as its sister labels, Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records. Some artists felt that Elektra wasn't promoting their music enough.
2004–2018: A New Chapter with Atlantic
In 2004, Warner Music Group decided to merge Elektra with Atlantic Records. The new company was called the Atlantic Records Group. For a while, the Elektra label became dormant, meaning it wasn't actively signing new artists. However, longtime Elektra artists like Tracy Chapman and Björk continued to release music under the Elektra name.
In 2009, Elektra Records was brought back to life. It started signing new artists again, including Bruno Mars and CeeLo Green. In 2017, Gregg Nadel was named president of the label.
2018–Present: Modern Elektra
In 2018, Warner Music Group relaunched Elektra as its own independent company again, called the Elektra Music Group. This brought back the classic three-label system of Warner, Elektra, and Atlantic. The new group included other labels like Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner Records.
One of the first big releases under the new Elektra Music Group was the album Trench by Twenty One Pilots. In 2019, the label had a worldwide hit with the song "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I.
In June 2022, Elektra Music Group merged with 300 Entertainment to form a new umbrella group called 300 Elektra Entertainment (3EE). Even with this merger, both Elektra and 300 continue to operate as their own unique labels. In October 2024, this group merged with Atlantic Records, but the labels still keep their own names on their releases.
Artists
See also
In Spanish: Elektra Records para niños
- Elektra Sound Recorders
