Interscope Records
Parent company	Universal Music Group
Founded	1990
Distributor(s)	Interscope Geffen A&M (In the US) Polydor Records (Outside the US)
Genre	Various
Location	Santa Monica, California, United States
Official Website	www.interscope.com

Interscope Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group based in Santa Monica, California. Interscope Records operates as one third of UMG's Interscope Geffen A&M label group. It was founded in 1990. Interscope Records is home to over 146 artists.

History [edit]

Interscope was founded in 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Interscope Communications' Ted Field with financial support from Atlantic Records, which owned a 53% stock in the label. Initially, it was distributed by the Atlantic Records subsidiary EastWest Records America. A&R Executive Tom Whalley, John McClain and producer Beau Hill A&R Exec Glen Parrish were also part of the original founding team. The label's first release was Mo' Ritmo by Gerardo.

MCA Inc. acquired Atlantic's stake in the label in 1995 due to controversy over gangsta rap, a genre which Interscope championed.

Today [edit]

The original focus of the label was on hip-hop and urban music, but by the mid 1990s its range began to expand, to where its roster would be as wide ranging to include the industrial rock artist Nine Inch Nails under Nothing Records, shock rocker Marilyn Manson, rock band Limp Bizkit, Helmet, No Doubt and later the Latin artist Kings Of Flow in a unique partnership with Los Angeles based indie Latin label.^[1]

Following UMG's acquisition of PolyGram in 1998, Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope. In 2004, DreamWorks Records was merged into the Interscope-Geffen-A&M group bringing over artists including Blink-182, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Nelly Furtado, Lifehouse, AFI, The All-American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World and Rufus Wainwright. The artists were divided between Interscope and Geffen, with most going to the latter. In 2005 Interscope launched a new imprint called Cherrytree Records, for emerging artists. This began with the group The Lovemakers and later included Far East Movement, Feist, Natalia Kills, Flipsyde, Tokio Hotel, and Robyn. Lady Gaga is with Interscope, but no longer with Cherrytree as of 2011^[update]. LMFAO and Mindless Behavior are also part of the Interscope Records Major Hits.

In May 2007 Interscope announced a joint-venture partnership with Justin Timberlake to create a new recording label called Tennman Records, with the first artist being Esmee Denters.

In 2011, Interscope signed Madonna and Van Halen, the latter of which reunited with its original lead singer David Lee Roth. Both artists' albums were released in 2012.^[2] Also in the same year, Interscope signed Girls' Generation, a girl group from South Korea.

Criticism [edit]

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has criticized Universal Music Group for overcharging for his album Year Zero in Australia. When he asked why it was so much, they replied "you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that [...] True fans will pay whatever".^[3] Nine Inch Nails is now a part of their own record label, The Null Corporation, and no longer associates with Interscope.

In late 2011, rapper 50 Cent engaged in a feud with Interscope stating that "not everyone is not committed to releasing my new album", referencing his yet to be released, fifth studio album. This album, titled Street King Immortal, is set to be released in the second quarter of 2013.

Associated labels under Interscope Records [edit]

• A&M/Octone Records (2007-present)^[4]
• Aftermath Entertainment (1996-present)^[5]
• Bad Boy Records (2009-present)^[6]
• Cherrytree Records (2005-present)^[7]
• G-Unit Records (2003-2010)^[8]
• Kon Live Distribution (2007-present)
• El Cartel Records (2005-2008)
• Mosley Music Group (2005-present)^[9]
• Shady Records (1999-present)^[10]
• Streamline Records (2007-present)^[11]
• Tennman Records (2007-present)^[12]
• Will.i.am Music Group (2009-present)^[13]
• Zone 4 (2007-present)^[14] (distribution deal with Def Jam Recordings)
• Blackground Records (2009-present)

Artists [edit]

• Current Interscope Records artists
• Former Interscope Records artists

See also [edit]

• List of record labels
• Interscope Records discography
• A&M Octone Records

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Interscope.com
• Interscope A&R team contact list
• Video Interview with Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope
• Interview with Interscope A&R Mark Williams, HitQuarters Apr 2006
• Interscope Records discography at Discogs