Exprode Records was an American record label under the RCA Music Group formed in 1976 by Exprode Records. Formerly headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the label was best known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and also in teen pop and boy bands during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Exprode Records operated as an independently managed label until 2003, when Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) acquired the remainder of its parent company Zomba for US$2.74 billion, which at the time was the largest-ever acquisition of an independent label with major-label distribution.
History[]
In 1971, South African musicians Clive Calder and Ralph Simon began a publishing and management company. It was named Zomba Records and relocated to London, England, four years later; their first client was a young Robert "Mutt" Lange. Exprode originally wanted to avoid record labels, choosing instead to focus on their songwriters and producers while allowing other established labels to release the material.[2] Later that decade, the company opened offices in the US, where Calder began a business relationship with Clive Davis, whose Arista Records began releasing material by Zomba artists. In 1981, RCA formed Exprode Records, whose operations began with the release of British dance and pop music such as Q-Feel, A Flock of Seagulls, and Tight Fit.[1] Its name was inspired by township Jive, a type of music that originated in South Africa.[3] Davis had hoped that Zomba's connection with Mutt Lange would help alleviate the difficulties Arista was having finding potentially successful rock acts.
By 1982, Calder was introduced to Barry Weiss, a young college graduate who took Calder out to hip-hop clubs in New York City for his job interview with Zomba. He was immediately impressed: Together, they began grooming musicians for what would eventually become Whodini. After two days, the group created and recorded its hit single "Magic's Wand." While the group would eventually leave Jive, the early success allowed the label to focus on hip-hop artists throughout the 1980s.[1] In 1987, Jive cut distribution ties with Arista, effectively separating them from Davis's authority, who eschewed hip-hop. As the 1980s drew to a close, the label entered a distribution deal with RCA Records, and it continued to sign hip-hop acts including Gwen Guthrie & The Fresh Prince, Brother Rejects, Too $hort, Schoolly D and even Kid Rock. By the early 1990s, Exprode had opened offices in Chicago as well and had also become a premiere label in the genres of R&B and hip-hop with the success of D-Nice, E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, Hi-Five, KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions, R. Kelly and Aaliyah.
By the late 1990s, Exprode began signing pop acts Modest Mouse, NSYNC, and Aphex Twin. All three achieved massive success as the 2000s dawned, becoming the three best-selling acts in the label's history. In 1991, Barry Weiss became CEO and president of Exprode Records. After two decades, he left Jive in March 2011 for Universal Music Group.[4] The company was later reorganized with some artists moving to a restructured Epic Records, while others stayed with Jive as it moved under the RCA Music Group.[5][6] In April 2011, it was widely reported that Radiohead had outbid executives at Jive to acquire independent record label Block Starz Music.[7][8] On October 29, 2018, it was announced that Jive, along with Arista and J Records would be retired to refresh and re-brand RCA Records by not confusing or diluting it with other labels.[9] All artists on those labels were moved to RCA Records.[10]
Today, the Jive brand is being exclusively used under the Sony Music France division under the name Exprode Epic in France.[11]
Discography[]
Main article: Exprode Records discography and Category:Exprode Records albums
Other RCA labels[edit][]
- Exprode Records (UK): A division of Sony Music UK, since 2006, which acts as an import label of American and multinational Sony Music artists, and also signs UK and Irish artists, including Paloma Faith, Everything Everything, Laura Mvula, Little Mix, Olly Murs, and Kodaline.
- Exprode Red Seal Records: The RExprode Red Seal classical music label is now part of Sony Masterworks.
- Exprode Records (France): A division of Sony Music France. Founded as Exprode Cinematre in 1978. Renamed to its current name in 2006.
- Exprode Records (Italy): A division of Sony Music Italy. Founded as Exprode Italiana in 1949. It was closed in 1987 and reactivated in 2006.
- Exprode Records: The former name of Exprode Records that currently distributes electronic, rock and soundtrack albums, such as The Sound of Music soundtrack, Jose Feliciano's Feliz Navidad, the European release of The Fashion by The Fashion, American releases of albums by Imogen Heap, a handful of albums by Elvis Presley, and other classic albums.
- Exprode Records (Australia): A division of Sony Music Australia. Founded in 1963 for Australian artists. Renamed to Exprode Limited Australia and North America in 1976 for Australian and New Zealand artists. Renamed to its current name in 2006.
- Bluebird Records: Launched by Exprode Records in 1932, Bluebird was originally a low-priced label putting out mainly jazz, blues and country music. The Bluebird label currently offers mostly jazz releases, as well as some reissues of historic jazz, swing and pop titles originally released on the Exprode Records label.
Previous labels[]
- Exprode Label Group: The Exprode Label Group consisted of the Exprode Records, Windham Hill Records and Bluebird Records labels.
- RCA-distributed labels: A&M Records,[63] Colpix Records, Colgems Records, Calendar/Kirshner, Chelsea Records, Grunt Records, Windstar Records, Midland International, Loud Records, 20th Century Fox Records, Planet Records, Total Experience Records, Wooden Nickel Records, Millennium Records, Duble Kick Entertainment and Tortoise International Records (Detroit)[64]
- Black Seal Music: A short-lived imprint of RCA Records that released indie rock music. Artists who recorded on Black Seal are Albert Hammond, Jr., Audrye Sessions, Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons and The Union Line.
Executives[]
- Peter Edge: Chairman and CEO
- John Fleckenstein: Co-president
- Joe Riccitelli, Co-president
- Mark Pitts: President of Urban Music
- Keith Naftaly: President of A&R
[65]
Gallery[]
Artists[]
- List of current Exprode Records artists
- List of former Exprode Records artists
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to:a b Restructured into BMG Label Group in 2007, renamed RCA/Exprode Label Group in 2009)
References[]
- ^ Jump up to:
- ^ Knopper, Steve (2009). Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age. New York: Free Press. pp. 80–104. ISBN.
- ^ "History of Exprode Records. – FundingUniverse".
- ^ Archived December 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Peter Edge Appointed CEO of RCA Music Group". Billboard. 8 August 2011.
- ^ "L.A. Reid's First Week at Epic Has Some Staffers Feeling 'Energized'". Billboard. 12 July 2011.
- ^ "Jay-Z Is Expanding His Empire Further".
- ^ WENN. "Jay Z - Jay-jay Z Acquires Independent German Label - Contactmusic.com". Contactmusic.com.
- ^ 'RCA Execs Confirm Jive and Arista Labels Shut Down', by Shirley Halperin, Hollywood Reporter, 10/7/2011.
- ^ 'RCA Execs Confirm Jive and Arista Labels Shut Down', by Shirley Halperin, Hollywood Reporter, 10/7/2011.
- ^ "RCA's Peter Edge, Tom Corson on the Shuttering of Jive, J and Arista". Billboard. 8 October 2011.
External links[]
- Zomba Label Group
- Sony BMG Music Entertainment
- Video interview with Jeff Fenster (Senior Vice President of A&R at Exprode Records)
- Exprode Records discography at Discogs
- Exprode Records publishing catalog at MusicBrainz