Hollywood Records facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hollywood Records, Inc. |
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Logo used since 2002
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| Parent company | Disney Music Group |
| Founded | December 1989 |
| Distributor(s) | Universal Music Group |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California |
Hollywood Records is a music company in America. It's part of the Disney Music Group. They release music like pop, rock, hip hop, and country. This label often releases music for older audiences, different from the music on the main Walt Disney Records label.
The company started in December 1989. Today, some of the artists on their list include Sofia Carson, Tini, Queen, and Andy Grammer. Hollywood Records also releases music from movies and TV shows. This includes music from Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, ABC, and Hulu.
Contents
How Hollywood Records Started
Early Days: 1989 to 1995
Hollywood Records was created in December 1989. Michael Eisner, who was the CEO of The Walt Disney Company at the time, wanted to expand Disney's music business. He hoped the label would help new artists grow their careers in many music styles.
The first group to sign with the label was The Party. They were formed from the Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club. The label had some early challenges. But in February 1990, Hollywood Records got the rights to sell all of Queen's music in North America. This was a big deal!
The first Queen album released by Hollywood was Innuendo in 1991. Even though Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury passed away, their music sales brought in a lot of money for Disney. From 1991 to 1995, Queen's music made nearly $94 million for the company.
Tough Times and Changes: 1995 to 1998
Hollywood Records faced some money problems in the mid-1990s. In 1997, Disney bought another music company called Mammoth Records. The idea was to get a music label that was already doing well. However, this didn't work out as planned. Mammoth Records was eventually closed and joined with Hollywood Records in 2003.
In 1998, Disney decided to organize all its music businesses better. They formed the Buena Vista Music Group, which is now called Disney Music Group. This group brought together Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, and other music labels. Bob Cavallo became the head of this new music group. His job was to help organize Disney's music operations.
Finding Success Again: 1998 to 2012
In 1998, Hollywood Records had a big hit after seven years. This was with Fastball's album All the Pain Money Can Buy. The song "The Way" from that album became very popular.
Five years later, in 2003, Hilary Duff's album Metamorphosis was a huge success. It sold over three million copies in the United States. Hilary Duff's career showed a new way for the label to work. They used Disney's other businesses, like Disney Channel and Radio Disney, to help promote artists.
Because of Hilary Duff's success, Hollywood Records started working with many talented artists from Disney Channel. These included Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers. Many of their albums sold very well, earning Platinum or Gold awards.
The label also kept releasing music from movies and TV shows. This included music from Marvel Studios productions. In 2010, Hollywood Records took over the remaining parts of a country music label called Lyric Street Records. Hollywood Records now manages their music catalog.
Hollywood Records Today: 2012 to Present
In January 2012, Ken Bunt became the new president of the Disney Music Group. He made several changes, bringing in new people to help find and develop artists.
In March 2013, Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group announced a new partnership. This agreement allows Hollywood Records artists to work with producers and songwriters from Universal Music. Since 2013, Hollywood Records also uses the name DMG Nashville for its country music releases.
Starting in 2020, Hollywood Records has released a series of EPs (smaller albums) called "Music for the Movement." These EPs feature songs about social justice and protest. In June 2025, it was announced that a label called Good Company Records changed its name to Vanta Records and partnered with Disney Music Group. They plan to sign and develop new artists together.
Hollywood Basic
Hollywood BASIC was a special part of Hollywood Records that focused on hip hop music. It existed from 1990 to 1995. This label was the first to record DJ Shadow. They released his song "Lesson 4" in 1991.
Hollywood Basic was also home to groups like Organized Konfusion. Their album Stress: The Extinction Agenda (1994) was highly praised. Another important duo was Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf. Sadly, Charizma passed away in 1993. The music they recorded for Hollywood Basic was not released at the time. This led Peanut Butter Wolf to start his own label, Stones Throw Records, to share that music.
How Hollywood Records Distributes Music
When Hollywood Records first started in 1989, its music was distributed in the United States and Canada by Elektra Records. In 1995, the distribution changed to PolyGram.
Today, Universal Music Group helps market and distribute Hollywood Records' music all over the world. Many Hollywood artists, including Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez & the Scene, and the Jonas Brothers, have also worked with Universal Music UK's Fascination Records. In March 2013, Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group expanded their partnership. This allows Hollywood Records artists to work with Universal Music's producers and songwriters.
See also
In Spanish: Hollywood Records para niños
- CDVU+
- Fox Music
- List of record labels
- Marvel Music
