East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a

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, ...

formed in 1955, distributed and owned by

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

, headquartered in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

After its creation in 1955 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, the label had its first hit with the Kingsmen's "Week End". In 1990, Atlantic revamped the imprint as EastWest Records America, appointing Sylvia Rhone as President & CEO. Under Rhone's leadership, EastWest Records America shot to mega success with several multi-platinum artists such as En Vogue,

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

, Adina Howard, Gerald Levert,

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

, The Rembrandts, Dream Theater,

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

and

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

. UK artists on the EastWest label included The Beloved, Tanita Tikaram, Chris Rea, Billy Mackenzie (as Associates) and Simply Red. EastWest also distributed imprints, such as

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

, Motor Jams Records, Mecca Don Records, and The Gold Mind Inc. In 2005, WMG reactivated the East West label, which marketed and distributed rock music. East West operated under Warner's Alternative Distribution Alliance, the successor to Independent Label Group. East West Records was revived in the UK in 2014 under the direction of Max Lousada, then Chairman & CEO, Warner Music UK.

2024 – present

In 2024, Eric Wong was named President, East West Records & Head of Global A&R, Warner Recorded Music, reporting directly to WMG's CEO, Robert Kyncl. Wong leads East West Records, a storied name in WMG history, which now serves as a connector across the company's global ecosystem – identifying local talents with global potential and accelerating their pathway to global success. Wong will also help sign and develop artists, while working across the company's roster of stars to foster collaborations and creative opportunities that build careers. East West Records artists span WMG's global repertoire network, including WM China's Lay Zhang, WM France's Aya Nakamura, WM Germany's Peter Fox, WM Denmark's

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, WM Italy's Ghali, and many more.

References

External links

Discography of 1957–1959 East West singles
{{Authority control Record labels established in 1955 British record labels British companies established in 1955 Warner Music labels Labels distributed by Warner Music Group Pop record labels Rock record labels Hip-hop record labels Electronic music record labels