Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group.[3] The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializes in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records label.
This article is about the Disney record label. For the 1950s R&B label, see Recorded In Hollywood.Hollywood Records, Inc.
December 1989
Various
United States
Founded in December 1989, its current roster includes artists such as New Hope Club, Sofia Carson, Tini, Area21, Queen, The Moss, Little Image, Almost Monday, Andy Grammer, Daisy the Great, Netta, and Kenzie.[4] The label also releases soundtrack albums and digital releases from Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, ABC, National Geographic, Hulu, 20th Television, FX, and ESPN since their acquisitions by The Walt Disney Company.[5]
History[edit]
1989–1995: Founding[edit]
Hollywood Records was founded in December 1989 by Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company as a way of expanding the company's music operations by looking to develop and promote the careers of a wide variety of artists in various genres.[6] At the time, the company was limited to the release of soundtracks from Touchstone, and Hollywood Pictures films. The first act to be signed to the label was The Party, after being formed from Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club. Lawyer Peter Paterno was the first president of the label, until his resignation in 1993 because of the division's lackluster sales. After failing to sign new artists such as Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Naughty by Nature, Cypress Hill and Dr. Dre, the label experienced its first major success in February 1990, when it acquired the North American distribution rights to Queen's entire catalog for $10 million.[7][8] The following year, the first Queen album under Hollywood, Innuendo, was released. The deal's outlook as an important economic opportunity was immediately affected by the death of the band's lead singer Freddie Mercury,[9] although the band's catalog sales managed to successfully generate nearly $94 million in revenue for Disney from 1991 to 1995.[10]