Anthem Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The company was formed in May 1977 by

Ray Danniels Ray Danniels is a Canadian music executive, record producer, and talent manager. He's the founder of SRO (Standing Room Only) Management group, as well as independent record labels Moon Records and Anthem Records. He first rose to prominence as ...

and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush,

Max Webster Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in Toronto in 1972. The band was relatively successful in Canada, with several best-selling albums, and had some minor success in the UK, before dissolving in 1981. The band's founder, Kim Mitche ...

, Liverpool and

A Foot in Coldwater A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

. The three members of Rush (

Geddy Lee Geddy Lee Weinrib (; born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Rock music, rock band Rush (band), Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request o ...

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...

and

Alex Lifeson Aleksandar Živojinović (born 27 August 1953), known professionally as Alex Lifeson (), is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist for the rock band Rush. In 1968, he co-founded a band (which later became Rush) with drummer John Rut ...

) became associate directors of Anthem.

Background

The label's predecessor was Moon Records. Anthem was formed so that Rush would have more control of their work at home in Canada (their international deal with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

initially included Canada), and so other Canadian bands would have a home, as they could not get signed by the major labels' offices in Toronto or Montreal. Anthem's sister company is SRO Management, also run by Danniels and Wilson, overseeing flagship act Rush and other bands, on and off Anthem.

Lawrence Gowan Lawrence Henry Gowan (born 22 November 1956) is a Scottish people, Scottish born Canadians, Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx (band), Styx since May 1999. His mus ...

had also recorded for the label before joining

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...

in 1999. In November 2015, Anthem was acquired by Ole Media Management. In June 2019, Ole rebranded as Anthem.

Discography

References

External links

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Informational essay (archived)
Canadian independent record labels Record labels established in 1977 Rock record labels Heavy metal record labels Rush (band) {{Independent-record-label-stub

Background

Discography

See also

References

External links