Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment which currently operates under the umbrella of the Columbia/Epic Label Group. It is a premiere label for Sony Music, although Epic was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres.
Epic Records was launched in 1953 by CBS (Sony) for the purpose of marketing jazz and classical music that did not fit the theme of the more mainstream Columbia Records. '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, Charles Rosen, the Juilliard String Quartet, Antal Doráti conducting the Hague Philharmonic and George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra.' as said by Wikipedia.
By the time of 1960's, the label's musical base had been expanded and made to include all genres, which they thought would help the label become more reconised and it was also done to prevent the roster of Columbia Records (which, at the time, had a reputation for releasing material by more established acts) from being overstuffed with newer artists. And now Epic has became more well known for its signing of newer, fledgling acts. By the end of the 1960s, Epic earned its first gold records and had evolved into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Then by 1970s Epic's commercial success continued to grow in and had releases from artists that had become quite famous, for example, ABBA.
Today, Epic Records is owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987 and then in 1991 the company was renamed Sony Music. In February 2009, Sony Music made singer/songwriter Amanda Ghost president of Epic Records. Later in the year, Sony Music (during a reconsolidation of labels) merged Epic's operations with Columbia Records, and subsequently formed the Columbia/Epic Label Group — under which both labels continue to operate as separate brands. Sony Music's Legacy Recordings, in the meantime, reissues the label's classic and historical titles.
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