Warner Classics is the classical music arm of

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. (trade name, d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York C ...

. The label began issuing new recordings under the Warner Classics banner in 1991. The company also includes the

Erato Records Erato Records is a record label founded in 1953 as Disques Erato by Philippe Loury to promote French classical music. Loury was head of éditions musicales Costallat. His first releases in France were licensed from the Haydn Society of Boston, ...

, Teldec Records and NVC Arts labels. Based in France, Warner Classics also distributes the Lontano and Finlandia labels.

History

What was then known as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, which owned Warner Bros. Records and

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 its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

, acquired

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

in 1969 which included Elektra's

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

classical music label. This led to the formation of WEA, the forerunner of Warner Music Group. Nonesuch is now part of Warner Records. WEA acquired Teldec Records in 1988. Warner Classics was formed in 1991. The renamed Warner Music Group acquired

in 1992. Warner acquired the classical video company NVC in 1994. The label developed a larger profile in 2013 when it absorbed

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed European classical music, classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged ...

(including

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brothe ...

' classical music catalogue) with that label's output absorbed into the Warner Classics label and the co-owned Virgin Classics absorbed into Erato.EMI Classics and Virgin Classics to join Warners – Classic FM Music News and Features
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control Warner Music labels Record labels established in 1991 Labels distributed by Warner Music Group 1991 establishments in the United States Classical music record labels