Sire Records

• 1. Twenty Thousand Dollars

  ›

  In 1966, Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer each invested ten thousand dollars to found a record company they called Sire Productions. That combined stake was modest. Their goal, however, was specific: connect American listeners with underground and progressive British music that no major label was importing. By 1968, Sire's first releases were reaching the American market. Stein had already worked in the music industry for years before this venture. How did an operation built on twenty thousand dollars and a very focused premise go on to shape American popular music? And for how long could that original instinct sustain itself?

• 2. The British Underground

  ›

  London Records distributed Sire's 1968 releases in the United States, giving the young label its first foothold in the American market. The early roster announced Sire's priorities: Barclay James Harvest, Tomorrow, Matthews Southern Comfort, the Climax Blues Band, and the Deviants, whom Sire characterized as proto-punks. When the London Records arrangement ended after two years, Polydor Records took over distribution for 1970 and 1971. The Polydor years brought one lasting institutional detail: Sire's recognizable logo was introduced during that period. From 1972 to 1974, Famous Music handled distribution, and during that window the Dutch progressive rock band Focus charted with "Hocus Pocus." When ABC Records acquired Famous Music, Sire's distribution contract came with the deal. In Europe, Phonogram Inc. covered the label from 1974 to 1977.

  Del Shannon, the Flamin Groovies, Renaissance, the Turtles, Duane Eddy, and the Small Faces all appeared on Sire during the 1970s. The label also released a three-volume compilation series called "History Of British Rock." The Climax Blues Band gave Sire one of its biggest early commercial moments in 1977. Their single "Couldn't Get It Right" reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. That same year, Stein convinced the Shangri-Las, whom he had previously worked with in the 1960s, to reform and return to the studio. The reunion proved short-lived. The trio asked to be released from their contract, and the recordings they made for Sire were never released. By 1977, the label was already signing artists from a new wave of punk rock that would define its next decade.

• 3. Punk, New Wave, Warner

  ›

  The Ramones were among the first acts Sire signed in its mid-1970s transformation. The label had pivoted from British imports to become a home for punk rock and new wave. The Dead Boys, the Undertones, and Talking Heads all joined the roster. In 1977, Sire returned to major-label distribution by striking a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The following year, Warner Bros. and Sire entered a more significant negotiation. Warner Bros. would purchase Sire outright, making it one of the company's subsidiary labels. That transition gave Sire resources and reach it had never had as an independent. The label's roster in the decade that followed would reflect what that position made possible.

• 4. The Biggest Act

  ›

  Madonna's signing positioned Sire in a new commercial league. The label identified her as its biggest act. The rest of the 1980s roster reflected similar ambition: the Pretenders, Soft Cell, the Cure, Depeche Mode, and the Smiths all recorded for the label. Martini Ranch and Echo & the Bunnymen completed a roster that was bringing success across the US and Canada. Ministry, k.d. lang, Ice-T, Seal, and Tommy Page joined the Sire roster through the late 1980s and into the early 1990s. Stein's partnership with Sire was approaching its fourth decade. A significant restructuring within Warner Music Group was about to expand his role beyond the label itself.

• 5. Fifty-One Years

  ›

  In 1994, Sire moved its distribution from Warner Bros. Records to Elektra Records, another label within the same parent company, Warner Music Group. The shift came with a new role for Stein: he was appointed president of Elektra under the label's newly named chief executive, Sylvia Rhone. In that arrangement, Stein oversaw both Elektra's day-to-day operations and the distribution of Sire's releases. The dual role lasted three years. By 1997, Sire had separated from the Elektra arrangement and was operating as a stand-alone label. In 1998, Sire signed a deal with the Tragically Hip to distribute the band's recordings outside of Canada. Then in 2000, Sire was merged with the US division of London Records, forming a new entity called London-Sire Records.

  The London-Sire partnership lasted three years. In April 2003, it was dissolved, the Sire Records name was restored, and distribution returned once again to Warner Bros. Records. In December 2008, royalty negotiations between Warner Music Group and YouTube broke down. The following year, official music videos on the Sire Records website were taken down after Warner Music Group filed a copyright claim. The standoff was resolved in September 2009, when both parties came to terms and Warner Music's content was restored to the platform.

  In July 2017, Rani Hancock was named president of Sire Records. She had previously served as executive vice president and head of A&R at Island Records. Stein remained on as chairman. In July 2018, Stein left the label. His total involvement with Sire and Warner Music Group had spanned 51 years. Hancock, whose career at Island Records had been built in A&R, assumed full leadership of the label.