Lava Records is an American

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, ...

owned by

Jason Flom Jason Flom (born February 17, 1961) is an American music industry executive, podcaster and philanthropist. He is the founder of Lava Records, and was previously the chairman of Atlantic Records and Virgin Records/Capitol Music Group. He is also ...

, in partnership with

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, ...

Company history

In 1995, Flom launched Lava Records in partnership with

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 ...

. For the next decade, he continued to discover and champion artists under the Lava label who went on to sell over 100 million records globally, including

Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty (stylized as Matchbox 20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, rhythm guit ...

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

The Corrs The Corrs are an Irish family band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim (guitar, piano, keyboards, v ...

Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhyt ...

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...

Edwin McCain Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and " I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...

, and

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

. Flom also signed his first black artist, David Josias, known for his hit single “Mindblowin”. In 2004, Flom sold Lava Records to Atlantic Records Group, where he was named chairman and CEO of the

Atlantic Records Group Atlantic Music Group (formerly known as Atlantic Records Group until October 2024) is an umbrella label owned by Warner Music Group. It consists of three major labels: 300 Entertainment, 10K Projects, and Atlantic Records. The CEO is Elliot Gra ...

. In this role, he oversaw a resurgence of the label and continued to sign and break major artists, most notably

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...

. Following 15 years of success at Atlantic and Lava, Flom was tapped in 2005 as chairman and CEO of

Virgin Records 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 2007, he led a merger with

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 ...

to create the

Capitol Music Group 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. Inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog in 2013, it oversees the handling of ...

, where he was named chairman and CEO. During Flom's tenure, he oversaw releases from artists including

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

, and the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. In keeping with his track record of identifying and supporting new talent, under Flom's leadership eleven new artists rose to gold, platinum and multi-platinum status, which included

Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Let ...

. In 2007 he signed

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 ...

and personally A&R'd her debut album, ''One of the Boys''. In 2008, Flom departed from Capitol Music Group to re-launch his own Lava Records label, this time in partnership with

's industry-leading

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

. There he signed

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

, whose 2011 singles under the Lava banner "

Do It Like a Dude "Do It like a Dude" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter Jessie J. The song was released as the lead single from her debut studio album, '' Who You Are''. It was released as a download in November 2010 in the United Kingdom with a p ...

" and "

Price Tag A price tag is a label declaring the price of an item for sale. It may be a sticker or attached by twist tie or other means. Some jurisdictions require items (possibly exceptions for bulk good and produce) to be individually marked with the p ...

" featuring

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with record producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainm ...

, topped the singles charts in the UK and 17 other countries. Her multi-platinum debut album ''Who You Are'' sold over three million copies worldwide. In 2013, Flom identified

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...

, a then-unknown artist from New Zealand, and Lava released her debut single, " Royals", which stayed at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eight weeks, becoming the biggest alternative radio hit by a female artist. Lorde went on to win two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s including Song of the Year for "Royals" at the

56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid co ...

. Following successful Lava rock releases from

Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, multi instrumentalist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, dru ...

and their frontman Andy Black, Flom signed breakthrough rock band

Greta Van Fleet Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012. The band consists of vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner. The Kiszkas are brothers, and Josh and ...

to Lava in 2017, who revitalized the global rock scene with multiple number one rock hits and over 1 million albums sold, all while touring over the last several years. When Robert Plant was asked about Greta Van Fleet in an interview with Australia's

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

, he proclaimed, "They are Led Zeppelin I," and described 21-year-old Josh Kiszka as "...a beautiful little singer. I hate him."

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

lauded the band in ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'': "Whoever says rock music is dead is completely wrong. When I first saw them, they knocked me out...They are going to be one of the biggest bands of the year." The band picked up four nominations at the 2018

s and won the

Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...

for their double-EP ''

From the Fires ''From the Fires'' is the second EP by American rock band Greta Van Fleet. It was released on November 10, 2017 through Lava and Republic Records. ''From the Fires'' won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album at the 61st Grammy Awards. Background a ...

''. Flom founded Lava Publishing in 2014, which includes among its roster of writers break-out alternative rocker Evan Konrad, writer/performer

Maty Noyes Madeline Ashley "Maty" Noyes (born August 25, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter. Noyes rose to prominence in 2015 after a guest appearance on The Weeknd's ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' album, and contributing lead vocals to Kygo's 2015 track ...

, and all four members of

. Flom also founded the podcast company Lava for Good, which has produced critically-acclaimed podcasts
Bone Valley
' and
Earwitness
' (about the case of Alabama death row prisoner

Toforest Johnson Toforest Onesha Johnson (born February 8, 1973) is an American man on death row for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County deputy sheriff William G. Hardy in Alabama. Johnson's case is controversial and his quest for a ne ...

), both of which were named to ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' list of Top 30 True Crime Podcasts of All Time.

Label roster

Current artists

* The Warning *

*somegirlnamedanna *

Yonaka Yonaka (stylised as YONAKA) are an English rock band based in Brighton. The group consists of Theresa Jarvis on vocals, George Edwards on guitar, and Alex Crosby on bass and keyboards. Yonaka released their debut album, ''Don't Wait 'Til Tomorro ...

*The Wrecks

Past artists

* David Josias *Tony C. and the Truth *

The Royal Concept The Royal Concept is a Swedish rock band founded in Stockholm in 2010. It currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist David Larson, guitarist Filip Bekic, bassist Magnus Robert, and drummer Povel Olsson. Career 2010–2012: Early foundin ...

Travis Mills Travis Tatum Mills (born April 12, 1989), previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Riverside, California. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous s ...

* Carah Faye * Clairity * G4SHI * Liam Lis * Jetta * Katy Tiz *

The Atomic Fireballs The Atomic Fireballs were a Detroit swing revival band led by vocalist/songwriter John Bunkley. The group was formed during 1996 with Bunkley on vocals, James Bostek on trumpet, Tony Buccilli on trombone, Duke Kingins on guitar, Shawn Scaggs o ...

*Liquid Gang *

Authority Zero Authority Zero is an American punk rock band from Mesa, Arizona, United States, formed in 1994. The band's style is rooted in reggae and skate punk, with Spanish/Portuguese influences. They have released seven albums to date, two DVDs and n ...

Bel Canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

Bif Naked Beth Nicole Torbert (born June 15, 1971) is a Canadian singer best known by her stage name Bif Naked. Between 1996 and 2016, she was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada. She charted #1 on Billboard Canada for the single Spacema ...

The Boondock Saints ''The Boondock Saints'' is a 1999 Vigilante film, vigilante Action film, action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy in his list of directorial debuts, feature directorial debut. Starring Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman R ...

* CIV *

Course of Nature Course of Nature was an American alternative rock band formed in Enterprise, Alabama in 2001, later based in Los Angeles. The band was co-founded by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Wilkerson, with a final lineup of Sean Kipe (lead guitar) ...

Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjectivity, subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute t ...

The Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...

Egypt Central Egypt Central is an American alternative metal band from Memphis, Tennessee. History Formation and debut album (2002–2010) Egypt Central was formed on October 2, 2002. Based in Memphis and named after one of its roads. They wrote and ...

Willa Ford Amanda Lee Williford (born January 22, 1981), known by her stage name Willa Ford, is an American interior designer and former singer, songwriter, television personality, film actress, dancer, and model. She released her debut album, '' Willa Wa ...

* Grade 8 *

Hot Action Cop Hot Action Cop is an American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, named after a Joan Jett and the Blackhearts song. They are known for their hit single " Fever for the Flava". Long Island, New York-native Rob Werthner formed the band in 2001 w ...

Little-T And One Track Mike Little-T and One Track Mike (sometimes stylized as Little T & One Track Mike) was an American hip-hop and alternative rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Founded in 1999 while its members attended Rutgers University, the band included voc ...

Nonpoint Nonpoint is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Ja ...

Needtobreathe Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The group first gained fame for their Christian themes, eventually reaching crossover success. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, ...

Franky Perez Franky Perez is an American musician best known as a solo artist, touring vocalist of the Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, and as former guitarist for Scars on Broadway. He has also released three solo albums, ''Poor Man's Son'', ''My 4th of Jul ...

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

Smile Empty Soul Smile Empty Soul is an American Rock music, rock band, originally from Santa Clarita, California, Santa Clarita, California, United States. It was started in 1998 by Sean Danielsen (vocals and guitar), Ryan Martin (bass), and Derek Gledhill (dru ...

Jill Sobule Jill Susan Sobule ( ; January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''Clueless''. Her folk-inflected compositions alte ...

Unwritten Law Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California by drummer Wade Youman. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes, with Youman the sole remaining original member – however, he has left the group twice in i ...

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

Antigone Rising Antigone Rising is a rock band based in New York City. The band's current line up is Cathy Henderson (lead guitar), Kristen Henderson (bass guitar and drums), and Nini Camps (lead vocals and rhythm guitar). The band formed a nonprofit called ...

* Joe Brooks *

John Butler Trio The John Butler Trio were an Australian Folk music, roots-Rock music, rock band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler (musician), John Butler, an Australasian Performing Right Association, APRA and ARIA-award-winning musician. They formed in ...

Cherie Cherie is an English female given name. It comes from the French ''chérie'', meaning ''darling'' (from the past participle of the verb ''chérir'', ''to cherish''). It has also been used as a diminutive of names starting with or containing the s ...

The Click Five The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then q ...

* Embrace *

Toby Lightman Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, '' Little Things'', was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, '' Bird on a Wire'' was released in 2006. Biography Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman beg ...

O.A.R. O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, and saxophonist/g ...

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It typically ranges from in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small ...

Skindred Skindred is a Welsh band that fuses heavy metal with other genres, most notably reggae. Formed in Newport in 1998, they are well known for their energetic and involving live performances and have won several awards including "Best Live Band" a ...

Uncle Kracker Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974), also known by his stage name Uncle Kracker, is an American singer and musician. He was previously a turntablist for Kid Rock's backing group Twisted Brown Trucker; since 1999, he has recorded as a solo artis ...

* Vaux * Andy Black *Evan Konrad *Stanaj *Hero the Band *South of Eden *JunkBunny *Leo The Kind *

Kat Cunning Katrina Cunningham (born November 12, 1989) is an American actor, model, dancer and musician. They performed in ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' (2016), Cirque Du Soleils Paramour'', and NYC's '' Sleep No More''. Cunning appeared in the recurri ...

References

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1995 Record labels established in 2009 Re-established companies Rock record labels Pop record labels Alternative rock record labels Republic Records Labels distributed by Universal Music Group