The Echo Label

The Echo Label is a record label started by Chrysalis Group in 1994 and linked with the Japanese Pony Canyon Records. The Chrysalis Group were the original owners of Chrysalis Records, which they sold to EMI.

In 2005, The Echo Label recorded a loss of over £2.0 million^[1] and it was recognised how increasingly difficult it is for a small independent recording label to compete with the marketing muscle of the majors. The decision was taken to restructure the business at the beginning of the 2006 financial year, into an "incubator" for developing writer-artists with the intention of "upstreaming" them to a major label. The new signings which resulted from this new ambition included Bat for Lashes, Steven Lindsay, Rosalie Deighton, Jacob Golden, Sarabeth Tucek and pop-rock band Forever Like Red. They would continue to release records for their established artists Feeder and Morcheeba. However, in a Chrysalis Group report dated 15 August 2008^[2], it was stated that The Echo Label had performed below management's expectations and had not upstreamed any artists in this period, other than Bat For Lashes who were transferred over to Parlophone in early 2007. Feeder had one more album left on the contract, and they had to honour this by law resulting in Silent Cry being the last album released by Echo. The label is now being restructured into an exploitation company in a similar vein to the Chrysalis Copyrights business, which remains profitable.

Former artists

See also

• The Echo Label catalogue
• List of record labels

References

1. ^ Chrysalis Group PLC Annual Report 2006
2. ^ Chrysalis PLC Interim Management Statement 15th August 2008

External links

• Official Website
• Extensive list of Echo Label releases