The big four record labels

The big four record labels

• 1.
  TheBigFourRecordLabelsBy Ikhlas, Kate,Claire and Nicola
• 2.
  Universal MusicGroup:The UniversalMusic Group sells more music than any other major label. They accounted for 25.5% of the market in 2005, according to IFPI. The group's well-known label imprints include Geffen, Interscope, Island, Motown, and Universal. Key artists are:Black Eyed PeasMariah Carey50 Cent Gwen StefaniKanye West
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  SonyBMGMusic Entertainment:Sony BMGMusic Entertainment is the second biggest major record label in music sales. They accounted for 21.5% of the market in 2005. The company's well-known label imprints include Arista, Columbia, Epic, J, Jive, and RCA. Key artists are:Kelly ClarksonAlicia Keys OutkastShakiraBritney Spears
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  EMIGroup:The EMI Groupis the third biggest major record label in music sales. They accounted for 13.4% of the market in 2005. The group's well-known label imprints include Astralwerks, Capitol, EMI, Mute, and Virgin. Key artists are:The Beatles ColdplayGorillazRolling StonesRobbie Williams
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  WarnerMusicGroup:The Warner MusicGroup is the fourth major record label in music sales. They accounted for 11.3% of the market in 2005. The group's well-known label imprints include Asylum, Atlantic, Lava, Reprise, Rhino, and Warner Bros. Key artists are:Green DayMadonnaAlanis MorissetteMy Chemical RomanceRob Thomas
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  Statistics:The global marketwas estimated at $30–40 billion in 2004.Total annual unit sales (CDs, music videos, MP3s) in 2004 were 3 billion. The big four accounted for 71.7% of retail music sales:Universal Music Group—25.5% Sony Music Entertainment—21.5% EMI Group—13.4% Warner Music Group—11.3% independent labels—28.3%