Jayrem Records is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

record company "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

founded by James ('Jim') Moss in 1975 under the name Record and Cassette Distribution. Moss changed the name to Jayrem Records in 1981 and released the first singles on that label in 1982. Moss stated at the time: "Musicians should write and play music, not waste time and talent running around trying to promote and sell. their records ... that's where people like myself can help out". Moss owned the Chelsea Records chain of record shops during the 1980s and was able to identify niche markets that weren't being catered for by other labels. Initially concentrating on

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...

, the

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

-based company was, for many years, the main rival to

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

based

Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringi ...

, and produced records which had a similar sound to its southern compatriot, though concentrating less on the Dunedin-sound groups which formed a major part of Flying Nun's repertoire. Jayrem's repertoire extended into

Urban Pasifika Urban Pasifika (also known as Urban Pacific and Urban Pacifika) is a New Zealand subgenre of hip hop, that developed primarily among Pasifika New Zealanders in South Auckland. Drawn from alternative hip hop and R&B influences, it was quickly bl ...

and

Māori music Traditional Māori music, or pūoro Māori, is composed or performed by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance. In addition to these traditions an ...

, as well as

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

. They also imported labels from overseas. Over 200 albums have been released on the Jayrem label, with notable releases from artists ranging from

Upper Hutt Posse Upper Hutt Posse (UHP) are a New Zealand hip hop group formed in Upper Hutt, Wellington, in 1985. Upper Hutt Posse are one of the earliest New Zealand hip hop groups, known for their fusion of rap and reggae in both English and Māori. Promin ...

and

Dalvanius Prime Maui Dalvanius Prime (16 January 1948 – 3 October 2002) was a New Zealand entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture. ...

Jordan Reyne Jordan Reyne is an experimental musician currently residing in Toruń, Poland. Jordan's sound has been variously described as "industrial-tinged folk" and "antipodean Steampunk" yet defies any cut and dried genre description. She combines the two ...

and Cassandra's Ears.

References

New Zealand record labels IFPI members {{NewZealand-record-label-stub