Island
From Your Subculture Soundtrack, the music encyclopedia
Headquarters: Founded in Jamaica, now in London, UK
Founded: 1959
Founded by: Chris Blackwell
Link: Official US Site. Official UK Site
Genre(s):
Contents |
[edit] Active Roster
- Ladytron
- Black Uhuru
- Blue in Heaven
- Bon Jovi
- Burning Spear
- Cat Stevens
- Jimmy Cliff
- The Cranberries
- Die Trying
- Everlast
- Fall Out Boy
- Fefe Dobson
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Free
- Hoobastank
- Kid Creole & The Coconuts
- The Killers
- Mariah Carey
- PJ Harvey
- Quintessence
- Lionel Richie
- Saliva
- The Slits
- Soup Dragons
- Steel Pulse
- Sum 41
- Third World
- Thrice
- Thursday
- U2
- The Wedding Present
- Insane Clown Posse
- Gavin Christopher
- Keane
- McFly
- Busted
- Amy Winehouse
- CKY
- The Bravery
- Nine Black Alps
[edit] Inactive Roster
- Tom Waits
- Pulp
- Anthrax
- Bob Marley & The Wailers
- Emerson, Lake and Palmer
- Jethro Tull
- Fairport Convention
- Grace Jones
- Mott The Hoople
- Nick Drake
- Robert Palmer
- Roxy Music
- Traffic
- Sparks
[edit] Key Releases
Too many to list.
[edit] Biography
Island Records was started as a reggae label, but in the 1960s and 1970s got more into rock and pop music, and by the 1980s, it had formed into one of the major labels with a lot of prestige and top-selling acts. They were sold to Polygram in 1989, and then merged with Def Jam in 1998. The US and UK portions of Island seem to operate at least somewhat independently, as there are many artists signed to Island in the UK, but not in the US -- Ladytron and Sparks come to mind (in the US, Ladytron is on Rykodisc; the Sparks records recorded on Island are unavailable in the US.).
