Rodven Records was a Venezuelan

record label 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 trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

that belonged to the Cisneros family owned ODC Group, then proprietors of one of the largest TV networks in the country, Venevision. They also owned a nationwide AM radio network (RadioVision, which later expanded into the FM realm as FM Center) and a record stores chain (DiscoCenter), thus serving as a channel for those artists who belonged to the roster of either of those companies (mostly signed to Venevision).

Early years

In its beginnings, SonoRodven (As it was originally named) emerged as a local source for international compilation albums (mostly those produced in the U.S. by companies such as K-Tel). Then it started handling a small roster of local luminaries, some of them also performing as actors for its sister TV network, such as

Guillermo Dávila Guillermo Dávila (born 18 March 1955, in Bailadores) is a Venezuelan actor and singer who has acted in many telenovelas. Biography After starting his career in theatre in the 1970s, Dávila first gained national fame in after starring in the ...

, Karina, Ricardo Montaner, Jose Luis Rodriguez "El Puma", Marcelo, and others. Then the roster began to grow up, and it became the second biggest local record label in Venezuela, alongside

Sonográfica Sonográfica is a record label based in Caracas, Venezuela. It had links with Empresas 1BC, which also owned Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) and Radio Caracas Radio, among other businesses. During the 1980s, it supported Venezuelan musical tale ...

, its biggest competitor, from the rival group " Empresas 1BC" (proprietors of rival TV network

RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisió ...

, rival radio network RCR, rival record stores chain "Recordland"). Later, in the early-middle eighties, it became the Rodven Group, also comprising Video-Rodven, a commercial home video company, as well as other small record labels that previously existed in the country, such as Velvet (thus becoming VelvetRodven and later TH-Rodven, an outlet for all Latin dance music oriented artists, and later for other youth and pop acts, such as the late 80s boyband " Los Chamos", from which emerged the Venezuelan singer

Carlos Baute Carlos Roberto Baute Jiménez (born March 8, 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela), best known simply as Carlos Baute, is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter and television host. His music is mostly in the Latin pop genre, with some ballads and Bachata. ...

), Love Records, and forming alliances with other record labels from around the world for local distribution purposes (thus forming EMI-Rodven, Hispavox-Rodven, Ariola-Rodven, Wea-Rodven et al.). This made Rodven's roster even bigger, allowing for the distribution of both local and foreign acts through a complete radio/TV/distribution platform, which later gave birth also to an artist management and show services company: "Big Show Productions".

Later years

By 1994, the label was responsible for releasing about 10% of the Latin music market in the United States, and had its American headquarters in Miami. It was ultimately acquired by

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

in 1995 (which itself was later acquired by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

in 1999). The record label was well known for popular Latin pop and salsa singers during the 1980s and 1990s. ''El Club de Los Tigritos'' alumni and teen idol Douglas Vale released his debut album ''Aun Soy Chamo'' only in Venezuela under Rodven and the breakthrough album ''Hieroglyphics'' associated with Maverick Records and

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

. The Rodven catalog is currently owned by

through Universal Music Latin Entertainment with Machete Music managing the Tropical catalog and Universal Music Latino managing the non-Tropical catalogs.

List of artists on Rodven Records and/or its associated labels

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* Eddie Santiago * Frankie Ruiz *

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* Tommy Olivencia *

Oscar D'León Oscar Emilio León Somoza (born July 11, 1943), known as Oscar D'León, and affectionately called ''The Pharaoh of Salsa'', ''The Lion of Salsa'', and the ''World's Sonero'', is a Venezuelan musician best known for his work with salsa music. He ...

(Venezuelan singer) * Orquesta La Solución *

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* Hector Tricoche * Paquito Guzmán * Andy Montañez * Soledad Bravo (Venezuelan singer) *

(Venezuelan singer/actor) * Jorge Rigó (Chilean/Venezuelan singer) * Karina (Venezuelan singer) *

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* Ricardo Montaner (Venezuelan singer) *

Wilfrido Vargas Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez (; born April 24, 1949 in Altamira, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a band leader, trumpeter, vocalist, arranger, composer and producer who was instrumental in making the merengue style a worldwide pheno ...

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Los Melódicos Los Melódicos is a Latin music, Latin dance band from Venezuela which plays a mix of tropical rhythms. The orchestra was assembled by Billo Frómeta in Caracas in July 1958. They made their debut through a local radio station on July 15, 1960. F ...

(Latin music Venezuelan band) *

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(

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

Venezuelan band) * Orquesta La Selecta (Latin music puertorrican band) * Billo's Caracas Boys (Latin music Venezuelan band) * Jose Luis Rodriguez "El Puma" (Venezuelan singer) *

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* Willy Chirino * Hansel y Raul * Diveana (Venezuelan singer) *Marcelo (Venezuelan singer) *

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(Venezuelan singer) *Paul Gillman (Venezuelan rock singer) *Roberto Antonio (Venezuelan singer) *Miguel Moly (Venezuelan singer) *Payasitas Nifu Nifa (Child Venezuelan band) *Melissa (Venezuelan singer) *Laura y Victor (Venezuelan boy singers) *Jorge Aguilar (Venezuelan singer/producer) *Guillermo Carrasco (Venezuelan singer/producer) *Sentimiento Muerto (Venezuelan rock group) * Los Chamos (Venezuelan Boyband) *Douglas Vale *Max Torres *David Pabon *

Frank Quintero Frank Quintero (born Juan Francisco Quintero Mendoza ) is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer specialized in pop music.

(Venezuelan singer/producer) * Kiara (Venezuelan singer) * Rudy LaScala (Venezuelan singer) *Freddy López (Venezuelan folk singer) *

Daiquirí Daiquirí () is a small village, 14 miles east of Santiago de Cuba. It became a focal point of the United States invasion of Cuba in the Spanish–American War. Overview Spain, Spanish General Arsenio Linares y Pombo ordered the area from Daiquir ...

(Venezuelan tropical music band) *René Romero (Venezuelan singer) *

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(Venezuelan singer) *Antonietta (Venezuelan singer) *

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(Venezuelan Latin/Gaita/typical dance band) *Amilcar Boscan (Venezuelan singer) * Aditus (Venezuelan rock band) *

Pablo Manavello Pablo Manavello (May 21, 1950 – January 18, 2016) was an Italian-born Venezuelan composer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. Manavello started his career in the early 1970s in Caracas and participated in more than 50 albums (including his own). ...

(Venezuelan rock singer) *Los Sysmos * José Alberto Mugrabi (Argentinian/Venezuelan singer) *Claudio Bermúdez Cassani (Mexican singer and Former member of the group Timbiriche)

References

{{Authority control American record labels Defunct record labels Universal Music Latin Entertainment Venezuelan record labels Latin American music record labels

Early years

Later years

List of artists on Rodven Records and/or its associated labels

See also

References