V2 Records facts for kids
Quick facts for kids V2 Records |
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| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Richard Branson |
| Distributor(s) | Virgin Music Group |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Location | 32 1211 GN Hilversum The Netherlands |
V2 Records is a music company that helps artists release their songs and albums. It is also known as V2 Music or V2 Benelux. The "V2" part stands for "Virgin 2," because it was started by the same person who created Virgin Records.
Over the years, V2 Records has been owned by different big music companies. These include Universal Music Group and PIAS. As of 2024, Universal Music Group fully owns V2 Records again.
Contents
History of V2 Records
V2 Records was started in 1996 by Richard Branson. He is famous for creating the Virgin Group of companies. He founded V2 five years after selling his first music company, Virgin Records, to another company.
Early Years and Growth
When V2 Records first began, it faced some money challenges. However, Richard Branson helped to fix these problems. For a while, a company called Morgan Stanley owned most of V2.
Over time, V2 Records grew by buying other smaller music labels. These included Gee Street Records, Junior Boy's Own, Blue Dog Records, and Big Cat Records. V2 also helped distribute music for many other labels. This means they helped get their music into stores and online for artists from labels like Wichita and Fania. The band Stereophonics was one of the first groups to sign with V2 Records.
Today, V2 Records works in many countries around the world. These include Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Cooperative Music and Digital Sales
In 2005, V2 Music Group created a special division called Cooperative Music. This group helped independent music labels release their music in Europe, Australia, and Japan. They had a team that worked on marketing and distributing music internationally.
By May 2006, many of V2's songs and albums were available on eMusic. This online music site sold music that was "DRM-free." This means the music did not have special digital locks that stopped people from copying or sharing it. Artists like Moby and The White Stripes had their music available through eMusic.
Changes in Ownership
In August 2007, V2 Music Group was sold to Universal Music Group. Later that year, Universal Music Group connected its distribution company, Fontana Distribution, with Cooperative Music. This helped independent labels from Europe reach American music fans. Cooperative Music had great success with bands like Fleet Foxes and The Black Keys.
In 2013, the company [PIAS] bought Cooperative Music, which included V2, from Universal Music Group. Then, in November 2022, Universal Music Group bought a large part of [PIAS]. By 2024, Universal Music Group owned all of [PIAS], which meant they fully owned V2 Records again.
V2 Benelux
V2 Benelux was started by Richard Branson in 1997. It was part of the larger V2 International group. In February 2007, the leaders of V2 Benelux bought the company with their distributor, Bertus Distribution. V2 Records Benelux has offices in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Belgium.
V2 North America
In 2006, Richard Branson sold V2 North America to a company called Sheridan Square Entertainment LLC. This company then combined its own music label, Artemis Records, with V2 North America. This meant V2 North America was no longer part of the Virgin Group.
In January 2007, V2 North America announced that it was changing its focus. It decided to focus on selling its older music and digital music. Because of this, many employees left, and the artists who were signed to the label became free to find new companies.
See also
In Spanish: V2 Records para niños
- List of record labels
