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Virgin Records

AKA: Virgin EMI, Virgin EMI Records, Virgin Records Ltd., Virgin Records America Inc., EMI Virgin Music Inc, EMI Virgin Songs Inc., EMI Virgin Songs, EMI/Virgin Music Publishing Ltd., EMI Virgin Music Ltd., EMI Virgin Records, Virgin (Record Label), Virgin Records America, and 1981 Virgin Records Ltd.

About Virgin Records

Virgin Records Ltd is a British record label founded by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman in 1972. It grew to be a worldwide phenomenon over time, with the success of platinum performers such as Aaliyah, George Michael, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Roy Orbison, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Keith Richards, the Human League, Culture Club, Rolling Stones, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, dc Talk, the Smashing Pumpkins, Mike Oldfield, Charlie Brown Jr., Gorillaz, and Spice Girls, among others.

After its acquisition by Universal Music Group (UMG) through its purchase of EMI in 2012, UMG absorbed Virgin’s British operations to create Virgin EMI Records in March 2013. Today, the operations of Virgin Records America, Inc., the company’s North American operations founded in 1986, are still active and headquartered in Hollywood, California, and have operated exclusively under the Capitol Music Group imprint, also owned by UMG, since 2007. The US operations have also taken on the name Virgin Records. A minor number of artists remain on Virgin Records America’s roster, which is currently mostly occupied with European artists such as Bastille, Circa Waves, Corinne Bailey Rae, Ella Eyre, Grizfolk, Walking on Cars, Seinabo Sey, and Prides; American artists include Knox Hamilton, L'Tric, Loren Gray, and Rise Against.

Virgin Classics was founded in 1988 as part of Virgin Records. Along with EMI Classics, it too was acquired by UMG in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Group. But the terms of the European Commission’s approval of the takeover required divestment of the two classical labels. Accordingly, both were sold in February the following year to Warner Music Group, and this transaction was approved by the European Union that May. Warner placed the Virgin Classics artist roster and catalogue in its Erato Records division, and the “Virgin Classics” name, along with “EMI Classics,” disappeared.

On June 16, 2020, Universal rebranded Virgin EMI Records as EMI Records and named Rebbeca Allen (former president of UMG’s Decca label) as the label’s president, bringing back the EMI brand.