Capitol Music Group is an American front-line umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, itself a division of

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. Inherited from UMG's acquisition of

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

's catalog in 2013, it oversees the handling of

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

s assigned to UMG's

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

division. The current chair and CEO is Tom March. Since 2024, it is one of the two umbrella labels that make up the Interscope Capitol Labels Group, the other being

Interscope Geffen A&M Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA) is an American umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, owned by Universal Music Group. It currently consists of record labels Interscope Records (with its subsidiary, A&M Records) ...

History

2007-10: Formation and success

Capitol Music Group was formed in February 2007 as a merger of Capitol Records and

Virgin Records America Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

in an effort by EMI to restructure and save an average of $217 million yearly. Both Virgin Records and Capitol Records, however, remained imprints of the label. Virgin Records CEO Jason Flom was named the head of the division, with Capitol Records CEO Andy Slater resigning after receiving a pension reportedly worth more than $15 million. As the head of the label, Flom reported directly to EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli. A total of 283 artists signed to Capitol Music Group, including Mims,

LeToya Luckett LeToya Luckett-Coles (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a mem ...

, J. Holiday, Royal Bliss,

Mack 10 Dedrick D'Mon Rolison (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He was a member of hip hop supergroup Westside Connection along with WC and Ice C ...

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

, and since 2007,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Barbara Pravi Barbara Piévic (born 10 April 1993), known professionally as Barbara Pravi, is a French singer, songwriter, and actress. She represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "", securing second place, the best result for Fr ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Duncan Laurence Duncan de Moor (; born 11 April 1994), known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song " Arcade" and went on to win the competition, g ...

Calum Scott Calum Scott (born 12 October 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in April 2015 after competing on the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Britain's Got Talent (series 9), Britain's Got Talent'', where he perform ...

, Ferras, and

Rucka Rucka Ali Rucka Rucka Ali (; born January 27, 1987) is an Israeli-American rapper, singer, radio personality, comedian, YouTuber, and parodist. He has released eight independent studio albums, four of which have charted on the ''Billboard (magazine), Bil ...

. In 2014 both

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

and

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

were confirmed to have signed with Capitol Records, Morrissey having signed a two-album deal. However, the latter was given to Parlophone as a result of that label's sale to Warner Music.

2010-13: Spinoff from Virgin Records and reorganization

In 2010, Virgin Records was spun off from Capitol Music Group to form

Virgin Music Group Virgin Music Group (VMG) is a global music distributor of independent record labels founded on 13 September 2022, and owned by Universal Music Group. History On 18 February 2021, Universal Music Group announced Virgin Music Label & Artist Servi ...

; as of 2013, however, the Virgin Music Group was dissolved, resulting in Virgin Records returning to its placement under CMG.

2012-21: Closure of EMI and UMG acquisition

In November 2012, it was announced that Steve Barnett would become the chairman and CEO of the company. With EMI's absorption (sans Parlophone) into Universal Music Group complete, Capitol Music Group is now part of UMG's five label units in the UK.

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

have been confirmed to appear on Capitol UK. In April 2013, Robbie McIntosh was named head of Capitol's international operations. In November 2016, the company's chairman and CEO Steve Barnett announced that the company has three endeavors planned out that include music, film and literary projects that pay tribute to eight decades' worth of artists signed to the label. In November 2020, Jeff Vaughn was named new Chairman/CEO, replacing Steve Barnett. In December 2021,

Michelle Jubelirer Michelle Jubelirer is an American music industry executive and attorney based in Los Angeles. She was the chairperson and CEO of Capitol Music Group from 2021 to 2024, the first woman to lead CMG in its 80-year history. Jubelirer was named 2024 E ...

was promoted to chair and CEO of Capitol Music Group. She reported to Universal Music Group chairman and CEO

Lucian Grainge Sir Lucian Charles Grainge (born 29 February 1960) is a British record executive who has served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Universal Music Group since 2010. Beginning as an A&R staffer in the late 1970s, Grainge has work ...

2024-present: Interscope Capitol Labels Group

In early 2024, after Grainge announced a restructuring that would see Capitol operate under the same umbrella with

, Jubelirer left her post and was replaced by former Geffen head Tom March, who reports to ICLG chair

John Janick John Janick is an American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Janick has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 list every year since 2014 and was named Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the year in 201 ...

. As a result both CMG and IGA combined their operations into a new Universal Music label unit, Interscope Capitol Labels Group. In 2024, Capitol Music France concentrates on French-speaking artists, while international Capitol artists are distributed by

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

Sub-labels

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

Astralwerks Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...

Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...

Capitol Christian Music Group Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) (formerly known as EMI Christian Music Group) is an American music group that, since 2013, is under the ownership of Universal Music Group. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the label is in the Christian ...

Unsub Records Unsub Records (originally titled Metamorphosis Music) is an American record label owned by Capitol Music Group and founded in 2014 by singer Katy Perry. History Perry first announced plans to launch her own label in June 2012. She spoke to ''The ...

Labels managed

Through flagship label Capitol, CMG handles the back catalogs and has assumed the copyrights of master recordings from the following labels and sub-labels acquired or distributed by UMG's predecessor EMI throughout its existence: * 3C Records *

Aladdin Records Aladdin Records was a record company and label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner. It was originally called Philo Records before changing its name in 1946. Philo Records Philo's releases included 78 RPM singles of ...

* Amada Records *

Angel Records Angel Records was a record label founded by EMI in 1953. It specialised in European classical music, classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score. and one Peter Sellers comedy disc. The famous Recording Angel trademark ...

(US) *

Apple Records Apple Records is a British record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists inclu ...

* Ascot Records *

Blue Thumb Records Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow and former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Blue Thumb's last record was released in 1978. In 1995, the label was revived and remained active u ...

(1970–71 titles distributed by Capitol) *

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...

(US & Canada and rest of the world outside the UK) * DCP International *

Dolton Records Dolton Records was a record label based in Seattle that was originally known as Dolphin Records. It was initially owned by Bob Reisdorff and Bonnie Guitar. Success for the label came early with " Come Softly to Me" by the Fleetwoods, the firs ...

EMI America Records EMI America Records was launched in 1978 by EMI as their second label in the United States after Capitol Records, relying on Capitol only for pressing, distribution, and international liaison. In 1987, EMI America merged with Manhattan Records ...

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

(US until 1997; Canada) *

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

Freedom Records Freedom Records was a jazz record label headed by Shel Safran and founded by Alan Bates as a division of Black Lion Records. Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the ...

(1950s) *

Fader Label FADER Label is an American independent record label founded in 2002 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. They are currently based in New York City. History FADER Label was founded in 2002 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. In January 2016 the label esta ...

* Harvest Records (North America, until 2012) *

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

(until 1970) *

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

Laurie Records Laurie Records was an American record label established in New York City in 1958, by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separa ...

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...

(North America, until 1970; 1980s) *

Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Interscope Capitol Labels Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhatt ...

(1980s) * Mediarts Records *

Minit Records Minit Records was an American independent record label, originally based in New Orleans and founded by Joe Banashak in 1959. Ernie K-Doe, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and Benny Spellman were early artists on the label. Later artists included Bo ...

Nocturne Records Nocturne Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1954 by Roy Harte, a drummer, and Harry Babasin, a bassist. Based in Hollywood, California, Nocturne concentrated on West Coast jazz. On March 28, 1955, Nocturne merged with ...

Pacific Jazz Records Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles–based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-fou ...

SBK Records SBK Records was a record label, owned by Universal Music Group, that is currently part of the Capitol Music Group, where it is in hibernation. The label was founded in 1988 and during its time in activity existed as part of the EMI Group. Hist ...

* Shelter Records (distributed by Capitol between 1970 and 1973) *

Solid State Records Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. History Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott backe ...

(1960s) *

Sue Records ''Sue Records was also the name of a Louisiana-based record company which owned Jewel Records (Shreveport record label).'' Sue Records ("The Sound of Soul") was an American record label founded by Juggy Murray, Henry 'Juggy' Murray and Bobby Robins ...

* Unart Records *

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

(North America) * Veep Records *

References

External links

* {{Authority control Record labels established in 2007 Universal Music Group Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Rock record labels Pop record labels Capitol Records Virgin Records EMI Companies based in Los Angeles 2007 establishments in California Record labels based in California