Chrysalis Records

Chrysalis Records
Founded	1969
Defunct	2005
Status	Defunct; artists catalog split between: Universal Music Group (US artist catalog, and Robbie Williams) Warner Music Group (Non-US artist catalog except Robbie Williams)
Distributor(s)	Capitol Records (US catalog) Rhino Records (Non-US artist catalog except Robbie Williams) Island Records (Robbie Williams)
Genre	Various
Country of origin	UK

Chrysalis Records /ˈkrɪ.sə.lɪs/ was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis.^[1] It started as the Ellis-Wright Agency.^[2]

History

Early years

In an interview for Jethro Tull's video 20 Years of Jethro Tull, released in 1988, Wright states "Chrysalis Records might have come into being anyway, you never know what might have happened, but Chrysalis Records really came into being because Jethro Tull couldn't get a record deal and MGM couldn't even get their name right on the record". This was after the single Sunshine Day/Aeroplane was incorrectly credited to Jethro Toe.

Chrysalis entered into a licensing deal with Chris Blackwell's Island Records for distribution, based on the success of bands like Jethro Tull, Ten Years After and Procol Harum, which were promoted by the label. Jethro Tull signed with Reprise Records in the United States, which led Chrysalis to an American distribution deal with Reprise's parent company, Warner Bros. Records. This lasted from 1972 until U.S. Chrysalis switched to independent distribution in 1976. PolyGram handled international distribution and Festival Records covered Australia and New Zealand. Towards the end of the 1970s, Chrysalis offshoot 2 Tone Records brought in bands such as The Specials and The Selecter.^[3]

In 1979 Chrysalis bought and distributed U.S. folk label Takoma Records, naming manager/producer Denny Bruce as president, who signed The Fabulous Thunderbirds and T-Bone Burnett. Jon Monday who was Vice President of Takoma Records prior to the acquisition continued as General Manager,^[4] later becoming Director of Marketing of Chrysalis Records.

Chrysalis made history in 1979 by creating the first "music video album", a videocassette featuring a corresponding music video for each song on Blondie's Eat to the Beat album (released at the same time as the LP).

In the 1980s, Chrysalis was at the forefront of the British New Romantic movement with bands such as Ultravox, and Spandau Ballet. The 1980s proved to be the most successful time for the label, whose roster then included Billy Idol, Pat Benatar, Blondie and Huey Lewis and the News. Chrysalis also distributed Animal Records, the short-lived label founded by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. In 1983 Daniel Glass moved to Chrysalis as Director of New Music Marketing, advancing later to Senior Vice President.

EMI

The Chrysalis Records label was sold 50% in 1990, then the remaining half in 1991 to EMI with catalogue and artists such as Starsailor being shifted to the main EMI imprints. Chrysalis Records folded into EMI subsidiary and flagship label EMI Records in 2005.

The British Chrysalis catalogue (minus Robbie Williams, whose catalogue is currently distributed by Island Records) was put up for sale by Universal Music Group after its acquisition of EMI. In July 2013, Warner Music Group completed acquisition of Parlophone Label Group, which includes the British Chrysalis catalogue, for £487 million ($765 million USD).^[5]

The American Chrysalis catalogue, including artists such as Blondie, Huey Lewis and The News, and Pat Benatar, was merged into EMI Records Group America, which was then merged into former sister label Capitol Records, and is currently distributed by that label.

Artists

Mick Abrahams/Mick Abrahams Band Adam F The Adventures Ian Anderson The Angels / Angel City Armored Saint Arrested Development Arrow Art of Noise Auracle Bahamadia The Babys Claudja Barry Edyta Bartosiewicz Toni Basil Bedlam Pat Benatar The Bible The Big F Rory Block Blodwyn Pig Blonde on Blonde Blondie The Blue Aeroplanes Len Boone Broken Glass Gary Brooker Enrique Bunbury Butt Trumpet Cajun Moon Belinda Carlisle Paul Carrack Catherine Wheel Carter USM Chick Churchill Child's Play The City Clouds Alice Cohen The Colourfield D Generation Daddy Freddy Jimmy Destri Device Divinyls Micky Dolenz The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Feline Flash Fearless vs. the Zorg Women Matt Fretton Fun Boy Three Fun Lovin' Criminals Rory Gallagher Lee Garrett Gang Starr Generation X/Gen X Gentle Giant (except US and Canada) Ghost Dance Nick Gilder Go West Phillip Goodhand-Tait Bobcat Goldthwait Grand Prix David Grant The Great Fiction Max Gronenthal Guru Steve Hackett (US) Geri Halliwell Paul Hardcastle Roy Harper (US) Debbie Harry Chesney Hawkes Boo Hewerdine Housemartins Ian Hunter Icehouse Billy Idol Innocence Jazz Got Soul Jellybean Jeffrey Gaines Jethro Tull Joan Jett Bob Johnson & Pete Knight Mickey Jupp Kino Kiss Like This Leo Kottke Greg Lake Amanda Lear

Alvin Lee Huey Lewis and the News Leyton Buzzards Linx Living in a Box Mandalaband Masters of Reality Frankie Miller Mutha's Day Out The Next School Sinéad O'Connor Pere Ubu Plain Sailing Cozy Powell Power Station (except the US) Maddy Prior & June Tabor The Proclaimers The Permanent Cure Procol Harum Proper Brian Protheroe Q-Tips Trevor Rabin (except South Africa) Racing Cars Ramones 1989-2006 (UK only) Rappin' 4-Tay John Dawson Read Ruby Runrig Bridget St. John Sassafras Leo Sayer (except US and Canada) The Michael Schenker Group 2nd Vision Sea Hags The Selecter Lucie Silvas Simple Minds 60 West Slaughter Sonia Split Enz (except New Zealand and Australia) Spandau Ballet

Stage Dolls Starsailor The States Chrissy Steele Steeleye Span Stiff Little Fingers Karlheinz Stockhausen Strife Laurie Styvers Supertramp (except the US) Sylvester Ten Years After Ian Thomas Band Richard & Linda Thompson 3 Man Island Tír na nÓg Toto Coelo Mary Travers Robin Trower The Pursuit Of Happiness Trouble Tribe 21st Century Girls 2 Tribes Bonnie Tyler (US) Judie Tzuke UFO Ultravox Midge Ure Uriah Heep (US) The Venetians Vigil Vinnie Vincent Invasion John Waite Wartime Was (Not Was) (US) The Waterboys Waysted White Town Wolf Wild Turkey Robbie Williams The Winkies Wireless World Party Year Zero Zephyr

References

1. Jason Nisse (1993-02-07). "Profile: A truly passionate sport: Chris Wright of Chrysalis outplayed BSkyB in football with his Italian job and is now revving up a car racing deal. Jason Nisse on a music man with perfect pitch". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
2. Ben Sisario (2010-11-27). "Music Publisher BMG Buying Chrysalis in $168 Million Deal". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
3. "History of Chrysalis Group plc – FundingUniverse". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
4. Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.com. 1979-06-02. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
5. "Warner Music Group Completes Acquisition of Parlophone Label Group" (Press release). Warner Music Group. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 2014-12-22.

External links

• Official site
• Ben Sisario, "Warner Music Group Buys EMI Assets for $765 Million". New York Times, "Media Decoder" blog, 7 February 2013
• Discogs page on Chrysalis Records