Epic Records: Record Label in New York » Label Info, Artist Roster, Gigs & Tours & Label News - Record Labels

Epic Records is an American record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music. The label manages several imprints as well.

Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. This has included such notables as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Juilliard String Quartet, Antal Doráti conducting the Hague Philharmonic and George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.

By 1960, the label's musical base was expanded to include all genres of music and became an avenue for Columbia's A&R department to sign newer artists and avoid "overstuffing" the larger sister Columbia label, which at the time leaned on signing better known or already established artists. Many of Epic's signings were newer pop, Rock & Roll, and R&B artists in nature, where Columbia had better known "mainstream" popular artists.

Ten years later, Epic earned its first gold records and developed into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Among its many acts, it included Roy Hamilton, Bobby Vinton, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Tammy Wynette, Donovan, The Yardbirds, Lulu, and Jeff Beck. Several of the British artists on the Epic roster in the 1960s were the result of Epic's distribution deal with EMI in which Epic recordings were issued by EMI on the Columbia label before the contract with EMI expired at which point CBS Records formed a British Epic Records branch to market Epic label material.

In the 1960s, Epic oversaw the smaller subsidiary CBS labels including Okeh Records, Date Records. and distributed Ode Records.

Epic has a long history of many successful acts. During the late 1960s and 1970s, its success extended to include Sly & the Family Stone (66), Charlie Rich (67), Edgar Winter (70),Steve Vai (70-present), REO Speedwagon (71), The Jeff Beck Group (71), Johnny Nash (72), ABBA (in the UK) (72), The Isley Brothers (73), Ted Nugent (75), Boston (76), Heart (on sister label Portrait Records) (76), Cheap Trick (76), The Clash(76), Charlie Daniels, and The Jacksons/Michael Jackson.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Epic made stars out of the likes of Meat Loaf, Adam Ant, Culture Club, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The B'zz, Electric Light Orchestra, Ozzy Osbourne, Europe, Sade, Luther Vandross, Gloria Estefan, and Cyndi Lauper (through the Portrait label.) Other successful acts included Jessica Simpson, Shakira, Fiona Apple, Jennifer Lopez and Mandy Moore.

Other artists signed to Epic include Lamb of God, Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter , Natasha Bedingfield, Menudo, Brandy, Anastacia, Alexz Johnson,The Fray, Incubus, Alkaline Trio, Social Distortion, Modest Mouse, Good Charlotte, Live, Boxer, AC/DC, KISS, Duran Duran, Rage Against the Machine, Kat DeLuna, Chevelle, Editors, Prong, Pearl Jam, Sara Bareilles, Suicidal Tendencies, Macy Gray, B*Witched (via Glowworm Records), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (via Ruthless Records), Tori Amos, Nicole Bennett,tenacious d, FireHouse, multiplatinum selling artist Céline Dion, Low Vs Diamond, The White Tie Affair, Vedera, Augustana, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's,Red and Scouting For Girls, also Go:Audio.

Epic is part of the Sony Music Entertainment company. Sony Corporation bought all of CBS's labels in 1988. A joint venture between its music division and BMG happened in 2004, and Sony purchased BMG's stake to take hold of the whole company in 2008.

Legacy Recordings continues to reissue the label's classic and historical albums.

In March 2007, Epic, along with Columbia Records, signed an agreement with Sony Music Entertainment Japan to handle that company.

In February 2009, Sony Music appointed singer/songwriter Amanda Ghost president of Epic. read less

date	lineup	venue and town/city	cost
Sep 24 Fri	AC/DC, Livewire rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock	Cheese And Grain Frome	£17.00 Buy
Oct 09 Sat	AC/DC, Livewire rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock	Picture House Edinburgh	£17.50 Buy
Oct 15 Fri	Jeff Beck blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock	Bournemouth International Centre (Bic) Bournemouth	£40.5 Buy
Oct 16 Sat	Jeff Beck blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock	Brighton Centre Brighton	£40.5 Buy
Oct 17 Sun	Jeff Beck blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock	Symphony Hall Birmingham	£40.5 Buy
(1 - 5) of 46 results 1 2 3 4 ... Next

date	lineup	venue and town/city
Feb 10 Tue	Judas Priest, Megadeth rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal	The O2 (Dublin) Dublin	Reviews Pictures Videos
Feb 11 Wed	Alkaline Trio alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, horror punk, melodic hardcore	Manchester Academy Manchester	Reviews Pictures Videos
	Judas Priest, Megadeth rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal	Odyssey Arena Belfast	Reviews Pictures Videos
Feb 12 Thu	Alkaline Trio alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, horror punk, melodic hardcore	O2 Academy Leeds Leeds	Reviews Pictures Videos
Feb 13 Fri	Judas Priest, Megadeth rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal	Hallam Fm Arena Sheffield	Reviews Pictures Videos
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Epic Records

Epic Records

Is a Major label based in New York.

The label was founded in 1953.

#6 record label in the world with 1 votes.

24

Fri

AC/DC, Livewire

rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock

Frome

09

Sat

AC/DC, Livewire

rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock

Edinburgh

15

Fri

blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock

Bournemouth

16

Sat

blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock

Brighton

17

Sun

blues, rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, blues-rock

Birmingham

10

Tue

Judas Priest, Megadeth

rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal

Dublin

11

Wed

alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, horror punk, melodic hardcore

Manchester

Judas Priest, Megadeth

rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal

Belfast

12

Thu

alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, horror punk, melodic hardcore

Leeds

13

Fri

Judas Priest, Megadeth

rock, classic metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, speed metal

Sheffield

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