Valley Entertainment is an American
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 ...
and music distributor based in New York City, United States. The company was founded in 1994 by Barney Cohen and Jon Birge. In 2001, it acquired the prestigious
[ back catalogue of ]space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
, ambient, and new-age music from Hearts of Space Records. , it has a catalogue of about 375 releases.
History
In 1979, Barney Cohen founded Valley Media (a separate company) and opened Valley Record Distributors in 1984. In 1994, he stepped down from Valley Media to focus on the proprietary independent music label he had started: Valley Entertainment, founded in 1994 by Barney Cohen and Jon Birge.[Ambient News]
"Valley Entertainment Announces Acquisition of Hearts of Space Records!"
(scroll down), via Archive.org
In 2001, they acquired from Stephen Hill the prestigious[Sande, Steve (2004)]
"The sky's the limit with ambient music"
'' San Francisco Chronicle'', January 11, 2004, p. PK-18, at SFGate.com via Archive.org: " ..the Sausalito record label Hearts of Space, which has carved out a dominant niche in the area of avant-garde electronica by providing what he calls "slow music for fast times." ..The success of companies like Hearts of Space (which was purchased by New York's Valley Entertainment in 2001), the abundance of do-it-yourself home studios and an increase in tech-knowledgeable customers suggest that the market for ambient music may increase in the near future." trademark and back catalogue of his Hearts of Space Records[ (including among its about 140 releases such albums as Constance Demby's 1986 '' Novus Magnificat'', Michael Stearns's 1988 '' Encounter'', Rich & Roach's 1990 '']Strata
In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...
'', Rich & Lustmord's 1995 '' Stalker'', Steve Roach's 1996 ''The Magnificent Void'', Robert Rich's 1998 '' Seven Veils'', and solo albums by Paul Haslinger from Tangerine Dream). As Hill explained, "Despite our success, by 2000 things were getting very difficult for record companies our size, and ultimately we sold the label to a larger company in 2001. Luckily we found Jon Birge of Valley Entertainment, who recognized what we had accomplished and has kept the HOS Records catalog together and available." Though not any more associated with its business side, Stephen Hill continues to work on Artist & Repertoire and to produce new recordings for the label.
According to a statement from its director, the company has claimed being "blacklisted" in 2007 by the George W. Bush administration for releasing in the U.S. the Norwegian album '' Lullabies from the Axis of Evil''.
In 2024 Valley Entertainment acquired Dancing Cat Records' Hawaiian Slack Key catalog.
Labels
, published or distributed labels include the following:
* Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music)
* Hearts of Space Records (150+ releases)
** RGB
* Valley Entertainment- Windham Hill Records (14 reissues)
References
Further reading
SEC filing about the relationship between Valley Media Inc. and Valley Entertainment
at SEC.gov (two distinct companies; mostly backstory and business data)
External links
Valley-Entertainment.com
– official website
Valley Entertainment MySpace
{{Authority control
American independent record labels
Ambient music record labels
New-age music record labels
Electronic music record labels
Record labels established in 1996
Record label distributors