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Top 10 Biggest Record Labels in the World

The top 10 biggest record labels in the world are not necessarily the most popular. In this article, you’ll find out more about them.

Published

2 years ago

August 9, 2022

Praise Shogbade

What are the biggest Record Labels in the World?

Record labels all over the world perform the same function. They are charged with the responsibility of publishing and managing music brands/artists. They produce, manufacture, distribute, market, and promote sounds and recordings (audio & video) of artists.

Record labels enforce the copyright laws of songs they produce. They also scout for talents in areas where they have interests and sign them to their label, taking responsibility for their management. There are thousands of record labels all over the world but this article will focus on the top 10 biggest of them all.

Here are the top 10 biggest record labels in the world.

10. Capitol Music Group

Revenue: $98.4 million

Headquarters: Los Angeles, California

Biggest Artists: Katy Perry, Bee Gees, 50 Cent

Capitol Music Group is a Record Label under Universal Music Group. The label (Capitol Records) was originally founded by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs in 1942. In 2007 however, Capitol Music Group was formed by merging two labels, Capitol Records and Virgin Records, America.

With its headquarters located in California, U.S.A, the label has grown to become one of the biggest music labels in the world. Artists who have been affiliated with Capitol include Katy Perry and 50 Cent.

9. Interscope Records

Revenue: $57 million

Headquarters: Santa Monica, California

Biggest Artists: OneRepublic, Lady Gaga, Eminem

Interscope Records is an American Record Label with Universal Music Group as its parent label. It was founded in the late 90s by Ted Field and Jimmy Iovine as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Music Group.

Interscope was way different from many other record companies as it allowed A&R staff to control decisions and artists and producers to take full creative control. The record is known for having so much criticism attached to its name, however, this did not stop it from ranking among the top 10 biggest Record Labels in the world.

Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Kendrick Lamar are top artists that the label has produced.

8. RCA Records

Revenue: $73 million

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Alicia Keys, Tems, Chris Brown

RCA Records is another Record Label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. RCA derived its name from its defunct parent company, Radio Corporation of America.

It is a record label that features various acts across continents and the globe at large. Nigerian singer, Tems is an artist under the label as she was unveiled as an RCA act in September 2021.

Mississippi singer, Elvis Presley, was one of the top artists that put RCA ahead of other record labels, increasing its revenue passively. Presley’s first single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” did the magic for the label.

In 1968, however, RCA was rebranded to wear a contemporary outlook and in no time, magazines like Billboard lauded the company for its works.

7. Columbia Records

Revenue: $100 million

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Billy Joel, Beyonce, BTS

Columbia Records is an American music Label under Sony Music Entertainment. The label easily makes the list of the biggest record labels in the world as it has produced some of the best artists around the globe. Some of these artists include Beyonce, Adele, James Taylor, and Iggy Pop.

Established in 1889, Columbia is one of the oldest names in the music record label industry. The label is known for its gradual advancement from one genre of music to another as it gained prominence. Today, Columbia music boasts of advancing the career of many great artists across multiple genres of music.

6. Virgin Records

Revenue: $370 million

Headquarters: Hollywood, California

Biggest Artist(s): Genesis, Janet Jackson, Jared L

Founder(s): Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, Tom Newman

Virgin records started way back in 1972. It was initially set up as an independent British label which grew to become a global force to reckon with. The likes of Paula Abdul, Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Phil Collins, OMD, and Mike Oldfield contributed to making Virgin Records what it is to date.

Virgin Records was sold to Universal Music Group in 2012 by EMI who purchased it in 1994. The Label’s sale however was not in a bid to help get it off the ground as Virgin was already a major label by the time it was sold.

Artists like Peter Gabriel, Stephen Wilson, and many many others are still signed to the Label.

5. Atlantic Records

Revenue: $500 million

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Coldplay, Meek Mill, Jay-Z

Atlantic Records is short for Atlantic Recording Corporation. It was founded in October 1947 as a Jazz, Soul, and R&B music label. Later in 1967, Atlantic Records became part of Warner Music Group.

The merge with Warner Group brought about a more vast label for Atlantic Records as the label signed notable Rock Music acts like Led Zeppelin and the Rock trio, Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

The label has bagged many awards through its artists. One notable event was the 2018 Grammys where Atlantic Records took 13 awards home, with the key winner being Bruno Mars.

Meek Mill and JAY Z are two big artists the label has produced.

4. BMG Rights Management

Revenue: $784 million

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Jason Aldean, David Bowie, and Lenny Kravitz.

BMG is short for Bertelsmann Music Group. The German media company is fourth on our list of the biggest record labels in the world.

It was launched in 1985 after its merging with RCA Records. Like Sony Music, BMG also went through several transitions and buyouts. However, the current brand was launched in 2008 with branches in the U.S, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

BMG is not only a music label. It has one of the largest publishing catalogs in the world and it is invested in other independent labels, books, films, and synch.

Some of their notable artists include David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz.

3. Warner Music Group

Revenue: $5.3 billion

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Coldplay

Warner Music Group (WMG) is one of the BIG THREE record labels in the world (The other two are highlighted later in this article as you read on).

WMG was launched in 1958 by film veterans, Warner Brothers. It is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate with its headquarters in New York City.

Warner Music Group has birthed other flagship records including Warner Bros and Atlantic Records. Some of its most popular acts include Ed Sheran and Bruno Mars.

2. Sony Music Entertainment

Revenue: $5.77 billion

Headquarters: New York, New York

Biggest Artists: Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Adele, Michael Jackson

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is the second biggest record label in the world for now. It is an American multinational music company owned by its parent company, Sony Group Corporation. The company was originally founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation.

SME underwent a series of changes and acquisitions until 1991 when the name Sony Music Entertainment was given to the company. SME has quite a number of subsidiary labels like RCA Records, Epic Records, and Arista Records, to mention only a few.

The company has its headquarters in New York and boasts of revenue of $5.77 billion. Some of the biggest artists that Sony Music Entertainment has produced include Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Adele, and Michael Jackson.

1. Universal Music Group

Revenue: $9.4 Billion

Headquarters: Hilversum, Netherlands (corporate) and Santa Monica, California (operational.)

Biggest Artists: Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the biggest record label in the world. It was founded in 1992 after the merging of MCA with Decca Records. UMG operates in 68 countries of the world including Japan, Latin America, and Australia. The label equally has other smaller labels under its umbrella.

UMG boasts of publishing companies, merchandising, and audiovisual media. The record label has advanced the career of big names in the music industry like Lady Gaga, Luke Bryan, and The Beatles.