Informally, a vanity label (compare vanity press) is a record label founded as a wholly or partially owned subsidiary of another, larger, and better established (at least at the time of the vanity label's founding) record label, where the subsidiary is (at least nominally) controlled by a successful recording artist, designed to allow this artist to release music by other artists they admire.
The parent label handles the production and distribution and funding of the vanity label, but the album is usually released with the vanity brand name prominent. Usually, the artist/head of the vanity label is signed to the parent label, and this artist's own recordings will be released under the vanity brand name.
Creating a vanity label can be an attractive idea for the parent label, primarily as a "perk" to keep a successful artist on the label's roster happy and as a venue to bring fellow artists to the public's attention.
Prominent vanity labels
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Vanity Label !! Founding Artist !! Founded !! Notable Artists Released !! Parent Label (at founding) !! class="unsortable"|Status
|-
| Reprise Records
| Frank Sinatra
| 1960
| List of Reprise Records artists
|Independent
| Purchased by Warner Bros. Records in 1963; shuttered in 1976, but relaunched in 1987 and active since then.
|-
| Brother Records
|data-sort-value="Beach Boys"| The Beach Boys
| 1966
| The Beach Boys<br />Brian Wilson & Mike Love<br />The Flames<br />Stephen Kalinich
| Capitol Records
| active
|-
| Bizarre Records
|data-sort-value="Zappa"| Frank Zappa
| 1967
| The Mothers of Invention<br />Alice Cooper
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, under the Verve brand
| re-issued on Reprise Records
|-
| Apple Records
|data-sort-value="Beatles"| The Beatles
| 1968
| The Beatles<br />John Lennon<br />Paul McCartney/Wings<br />George Harrison<br />Ringo Starr<br />Badfinger<br />Mary Hopkin<br />Yoko Ono<br />David Peel<br />Ravi Shankar<br />John Tavener<br />James Taylor
| EMI, under Parlophone in the UK and Capitol Records in the US<br />
| active; revived in 1989 for Beatles recordings. See also Apple Corps
|-
| Threshold Records
| Terrorvision
| 1992
| Terrorvision
| EMI Records
|
|-
| Pearl Records
|Garth Brooks
| 1992
| Garth Brooks
| Liberty Records/Capitol Records under EMI (1992 - 2005)<br />RCA Records (2005 - 2016)<br />Independent (2016–present)
| inactive; partnership with Liberty/Capitol/EMI ended in 2005, and partnership with RCA ended in 2016. Now an independent label.
|-
| Discipline Global Mobile
| Robert Fripp
| 1992
| Robert Fripp<br />King Crimson<br />The ProjeKcts<br />Fripp & Eno<br />David Sylvian & Robert Fripp<br />Adrian Belew<br />BPM&M<br />Bill Bruford<br />Bruford Levin Upper Extremities<br />California Guitar Trio<br />Europa String Choir<br />Trey Gunn<br />Peter Hammill<br />John Paul Jones<br />Tony Levin<br />Bill Nelson
| E.G. Records/Virgin Records (1992-2002)<br />Sanctuary Records (2002-2007)<br />Independent (2007–present)
| active
|-
| Peak Records
|data-sort-value="Freeman"| Russ Freeman
| 1994
| David Benoit<br />Eric Marienthal<br />The Rippingtons<br />Russ Freeman
| Concord Music Group
| active (2007)
|-
| Gotee Records
| TobyMac
| 1994
| Out of Eden<br />Family Force 5<br />House of Heroes<br />Deepspace5
| EMI Christian Music Group
| inactive
|-
| Moonfog Productions
| Satyricon
| 1994
| Darkthrone, Satyricon, DHG, Khold
|Tatra Records
| active (2009)
|-
| SYUN
|data-sort-value="Hirasawa 1994"| Susumu Hirasawa
| 1994
| Syun<br />P-MODEL<br />Phnonpenh MODEL<br />Pre P-MODEL<br />Tadahiko Yokogawa<br />Shifukudan<br />Fukō Project<br />PEVO<br />Teruo Nakano
| DIW
| inactive since 1996
|-
|Never Broke Again
|NBA Youngboy
|
|
|Cash Money Records
|active (2022)
|-
| Roswell Records
|data-sort-value="Grohl"| Dave Grohl
| 1995
| Foo Fighters<br />Probot
| originally Capitol Records, then RCA Records (Foo Fighters)<br />Southern Lord Records (Probot)
| active (2012)
|-
| Palace Records
|data-sort-value="Oldham"| Will Oldham
| 1996
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy<br />Will Oldham<br />Papa M<br />Matt Sweeney
| Drag City
| active (2007)
|-
| TESLAKITE
|data-sort-value="Hirasawa 1996"| Susumu Hirasawa
| 1996
| Susumu Hirasawa<br />P-MODEL<br />Wataru Kamiryo<br />KAKU P-MODEL<br />Mandrake<br />Susumu Hirasawa + InhVmaN
| Nippon Columbia (1996-1998)<br />MAGNET Records (1999)<br />Chaos Union (2000–present)
| active (2012)
|-
| Melankolic Records
| Massive Attack
| 1996
| Alpha<br />Horace Andy<br />Craig Armstrong<br />Day One<br />Lewis Parker<br />Sunna
| Virgin Records
| active (2007)
|-
| Aftermath Entertainment
| Dr. Dre
| 1996
| Eminem<br />Game<br />50 Cent<br />Cashis<br />Busta Rhymes<br />Slim da Mobster<br />Hayes<br />Kendrick Lamar
| Universal Music Group under Interscope Records
| active (2008)
|-
| Vapor Records
|data-sort-value="Young"| Neil Young
| 1996
| Neil Young<br />Jonathan Richman<br />Tegan and Sara<br />Los Abandoned<br />Spoon<br />Acetone
| originally Sanctuary Records, then Universal Music
| active (2007)
|-
| Hellcat Records
|data-sort-value="Armstrong, Tim"| Tim Armstrong
| 1997
| Rancid<br />Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros<br />Transplants<br />The Slackers<br />Dropkick Murphys<br />The Distillers
| Epitaph Records
| active (2007)
|-
| Adeline Records
|data-sort-value="Armstrong, Billie"| Billie Joe Armstrong
| 1997
| Green Day<br />AFI<br />The Living End<br />Jesse Malin
| Warner Music Group
| active (2007)
|-
| Elementree Records
| Korn
| 1997
| Videodrone<br />Orgy<br />Deadsy
| Epic Records
| dissolved after Korn's departure from Epic
|-
| ATO Records
|data-sort-value="Perry"| Katy Perry
| 2014
| Ferras<br />Cyn
| Capitol Records
| active
|-
| Nash Icon Music
|Scott Borchetta
| 2014
| Reba McEntire <br /> Ronnie Dunn <br /> Martina McBride
| Big Machine Records
| inactive
|}
See also
- Independent record label
- Lists of record labels
- List of largest music deals
- Music industry
- Music recording sales certification
References
- "Vanity labels: good business or an ego boost?" New York Times, 5/10/92
- "Vanity Labels" "SoundShots", 29/12/2020